A wild chapter approaches. It uses villain perspective. Effectiveness unknown. Merlot's been a busy man. I thought it'd be nice to see how they're doing. Probably do this again later, so hope it does well this time around. Time will tell.
Chapter 2: Because Reasons
"What were you thinking?!"
A woman burst through the metal door into one of Merlot's smaller laboratories in the complex. It had three desks flush with three of the four walls in the room. They were covered in various tools of the craft including vials full of multicolored fluids, equipment only Merlot would know how to use, and several textbooks that Veridian would never be able to understand even if she was interested in reading them.
Merlot turned a page in one of those textbooks placed on the desk to the right of the door. Merlot had been expecting this. Veridian had was vehemently against revealing themselves to world even if it would bolster their ranks. He was confident the moment she learned of his actions she would rush over to berate him. He smiled. To be young and able to act on your instincts so unquestioningly. He envied that ability. As he'd grown older, he questioned his instinctual reactions more and more, analyzing them mercilessly until whatever part of him that compelled him to do so was satisfied. It's how he knew the grimm were perfect. Unrestrained. Powerful. Unbothered by the constraints of logic and reasoning. At least, that's what he thought until…
"… and shove it down your conniving throat!"
He shook his head. A thought for another time. Now he must deal with more present matters. Namely…
"Veridian, do I need to explain myself again? Really?"
He delivered this line as he closed the book before him and turned to face the irritated faunus. Although his words were patronizing, the cheerful and friendly tone combined with his pleasant smile made it clear this was not the intention. He was asking a quite literal question. As if he truly believed she had forgotten his words. The fact that Veridian knew this only served to anger her further.
She was a tall woman standing around 6'2 with the majority of her cream-colored skin covered up by a green variant of the typical White Fang uniform. Merlot still hadn't decided if it was to differentiate herself and her position from the other members, or if she just really liked green. Her hood fell away from her head as it usually revealing long strands of forest green hair reaching her shoulder blades that could only be described as 'windblown'. The lack of her usual mask showed her hazel eyes narrowed, the reptilian slits still visible if only barely.
"I know what you said," she began as her voice rose in pitch and frustration. "But I thought we agreed it was a risky move and an action we shouldn't take!"
Merlot shook his head letting out a soft chuckle before beginning.
"Veridian. When you've worked on anything for any significant amount of time, you feel sheer elation, sheer joy, when you finally accomplish your goal." As he continued, he made grand gestures with his hands to emphasize his words, obviously caught up in the moment. "As you experience this overwhelming feeling, you find the only way you can bear it is if you share it. To show the people that what you've worked so long and hard for that you've finally succeeded! That the wait is over! That now, we can finally evolve into the most perfect and pure forms we could ever achieve! That everything will be equal! That discrimination and evil will become meaningless! That the world will finally be as it should! Having all this pent up inside you, how could you not want to show at least a few people all you have done?! Tell me, Veridian! How could you contain yourself?! It's enough to drive one mad!"
As the rant had gone on, his voice was consumed with excitement and unbridled happiness, his smile growing wider by the sentence. Halfway through, he had begone stalking toward Veridian, causing her to back away slowly. She had begun to regret leaving her guandao in her quarters as she soon found herself against the wall beside the door. After his final question, he took two steps back, and Veridian realized he hadn't taken a single breath throughout the entirety of his tirade.
Attempting to compose herself after the madness she had just witnessed, she examined his monologue. She found that all her counter arguments were uselessly incomparable to the amount of crazy she was just subjected to. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your perspective, Merlot wasn't quite finished.
Having noticeably calmed down from his explosive expression, the wide grin he had sported shrunk back to its usual size as he began anew.
"Do you remember what I told you three years ago when I first found you lying in the dirt? Your dream lost with your idol even longer ago still, waiting for death to claim you though you never fulfilled your purpose. Do you remember?"
He spoke calmly, almost as though gently reminding a child of the rules of his house. His two completely yellow eyes made it impossible to tell where he was looking, but Veridian knew he was gazing into her eyes. Slowly, she began recalling the moment everything changed.
Three Years Ago
It was Vacuo. She lay on the ground bleeding from her gut, staining her white uniform. Not the best position to be in.
Hiding without someone backing you up meant cavorting with less than reputable people. Makes it hard to know which ones want the money your willing to pay or all the money you have. This obviously came from the latter option.
They were supposed to be escorting her to a covert hideout she remembered using when the White Fang were still a functional group, as opposed to a bunch of former members scattered across Remnant, hiding from the military. In the middle of a forest they traveled through, they surrounded her. They must have done this before. She could tell from how rehearsed their actions were. She had needed to sell her weapon to fund her escape, so it wasn't much of a fight. Still, she resisted. A Proud White Fang would never yield so easily. That, of course, led to one of them shooting her like an animal after she'd been knocked to the ground. After taking anything that could be deemed as valuable off her crumpled form, they left, celebrating a job well done.
She knew she would die here. It was simply the truth. No one was around. No one was coming to save her. Her strength was flowed out of her with her blood. Even if she could somehow get moving, the grimm would find her soon enough and finish her. She would leave this world in a whimper. Without glory. Without purpose.
As if on cue, she heard them. The low snarls and light steps creeping toward her. She also knew the loss of blood must be getting to her, because she could've sworn she heard footsteps coming from the same direction.
The steps maneuvered around from behind, bringing their originators before her. Two large beowolves were crouched in anticipation, the orbs that were their eyes gleaming with bloodlust as they gazed upon her prone form. Between them, though, was a man. The man wore sensible black shoes under similarly black slacks. The rest the man was covered in a pure white lab coat reaching from his shoulders to his knees. A black M was emblazoned on his left breast and a pen was hooked into the pocket on his right breast. What caught her attention most though was his face. A large white mustache covered his upper lip matching the beard pointing out from his chin, in addition to the white hair on his head being an odd mix of combed and completely tousled. And, in the middle of this snowy visage, were his eyes. They were that of a grimm. There was no other description that did them justice. The piercing gold eyes peered down on her with a curious look. Then, slowly, a smile she would soon become familiar with placed itself firmly on his face.
"You've lost your way, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes. You're one of those White Fang, aren't you? I can tell from your outfit. Or, at least, what's left of it. Little tattered, isn't it? I heard the organization broke apart years ago when your leader disappeared. That must have been a shock. Practically wiped out overnight. I had heard there were still stragglers even after all these years. Some say the organization is still operating, just keeping their heads down. Is that true?" The man leaned in, seemingly searching for something. His eyes almost glowed as they pierced her vision, looking through her more than at her. After what felt like an eternity of locked gazes, the man straightened. His previously whimsical tone shifted slightly, gaining a slightly serious edge as he slowly said, "Didn't think so. Actually, different question. Do you think your dream is still worth fighting for?"
Veridian couldn't believe what she was seeing. Or hearing for that matter. This man, who stood side by side with ferocious grimm and had so casually mentioned how everything she, that the faunus, had worked for was wiped out, was now questioning her resolve? For what?! The dream was gone! It was lost with Adam! They had failed! What did he expect to hear from her?
She cast her eyes down. The man was just talking for the sake of it. Amusing himself as he watched her life fade. Pointless. Just like efforts.
"I can make it a reality."
Her head jolted upward to look at the man with disbelief. A sudden pain coursed through her as she aggravated her stomach wound. As she writhed from the newfound agony, the man spoke once more.
"A conviction to realizing a dream through hardships and persecutions is something I know well. Just because you know what's right doesn't mean everyone else does. Keeping your dream alive through all that is difficult to say the least. If you still have that will, that drive, to fulfil your dream even now, then I will help you."
A cough racking her body, Veridian gazed up at the man. Fighting back the fog that threatened to overtake her mind, she forced out a reply.
"Why?"
It was soft, practically a whisper, but the man showed no signs of straining to hear her.
"It wouldn't be just for you," he said, going into a crouch. Whether this was for her benefit or his own remained to be seen. "I have my own dream I've worked on for a long time. I just think we could help each other. After all, one good turn deserves another. A fair exchange, I think."
This last sentence was spoken in the same cadence as before, any semblance of seriousness fading almost as if it was never there at all.
"You should decide quickly. I give you about ten minutes at most, and that's being generous if I'm totally honest."
A part of her despised how nonchalantly he delivered this news, but it was miniscule in comparison to the part thinking over his offer. Was he telling the truth? Did he know what he was promising? It had to be a lie. An attempt to manipulate her. Get her hopes up and then dash them. But… What if it was true? Even if it's a lie. Even if he was just amusing himself. Could she really afford to dismiss it? She had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Or did she. She felt like she was making a deal with the devil. There were those who would agree.
"Yes."
Another pathetic whisper, but the man understood. Reaching into one of his coat pockets, he drew out a needle full of a black fluid that seemed to shift even when his hand didn't move. Pushing her head slightly to the side, he injected it into a vein in her neck and pulled away, returning to his standing position.
Three seconds passed and nothing happened. Then, on the fourth, energy seemed to rush through her body. It spread like wildfire through her veins, coursing and pulsing over the entirety of form. The force congealed in her gut and swirled around the area where she knew was the wound. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it left. She felt tired, but also that she had enough strength to push herself up.
Slowly lifting her body, she placed herself in a sitting position, leaning back against her arms to keep herself from falling backwards to the ground. She breathed heavily, drained in a way she couldn't quite put into words. She looked down to examine the wound that brought her to this position through the remains of her uniform. She would have gasped in shock if she had the stamina remaining.
The wound had disappeared. A black substance took its place, almost appearing to have filled it. She instinctually brought up her right hand to touch it and immediately fell back to the ground, unable to support herself.
The man took a few steps closer and peered at her face, the smile present throughout their entire exchange wider than it had been. Using what energy she still had, she forced out one last sentence.
"What…did you…do…to me?"
He reached out his right hand, palm up, and she noticed it was pitch black, speckled with white bone across its form. His golden eyes gleamed as his gaze shifted to the matter now infused in her stomach.
"I've shared my dream with you."
"Yes."
The conviction in her tone spoke of the will to make her dream a reality that Merlot had seen in her back then. If he hadn't noticed it, she would most likely have been turned her into one of his test subjects on the spot. Not to say she wasn't still a test subject. Just one that had extra freedoms.
"Then you know that everything I do is to realize both our dreams," as he said this he walked to the desk on his left and began watching a purple bubbling liquid in a flask suspended over a small flame. "I would never do anything I thought would jeopardize our goals. And you know this even if you don't want to admit it right now. But, it's good to get your frustrations out in the open instead of bottling them up inside. A very unhealthy act, to be sure. Negative thoughts physically harm the brain. Did I ever tell you that?"
She knew he was right. About the dream thing, that is. She had absolutely no clue on the negative thought part. She also knew he believed what he was saying. He may very well be right, too. She just got irritated when he did things like this. She thought she'd be used to his special brand of operating after all these years, but it still got under her skin. She did, however, find herself calmer than when she came through the door. She made a clicking noise with her tongue.
"Just once, try to communicate with me before you do something so drastic. I have as much stake in the success of this operation as you do, so keep me apprised. That way, we won't have to do this every time."
"But Ms. Vallus," Merlot said, lulling his head to the side to peer at her. A lazy smile touching his lips. "These exchanges are so much fun. Why would I ever want them to end?"
Veridian let out a sigh of sheer exasperation. She mentally swears that if he wasn't such an important part of their plan, or if he hadn't been the one to bring her dream back to the realm of possibility, she'd never be able to work with this fool.
"I'll leave you to your work."
With that, she turned on her heel and left.
As she shut the door, Merlot moved back to the table opposite the door. He didn't reopen the book from before. He'd read it already. He was just taking a break. Very convenient she had barged in then as opposed to earlier. She might have ruined the surprise.
Pushing a corner of the desk into itself, a panel opened on the wall adjacent the desk. A *CLICK* came from the door as the lock was engaged. Merlot moved to and gazed at the screen the panel concealed. He rubbed his chin, trying to recall what the password was. It was only 20 minutes ago, but even after that short a time he still had too many to keep track of easily. After putting in a few different combinations, he remembered. 2115
*BEEP BEEP*
A door-sized section of wall slid away left of the panel. He strolled inside as green lights illuminated the contents therein.
A sparse, metallic room greeted his sight. The large room was occupied by a single console in front of a large black fluid-filled tube. The contents of said tube were completely obscured, though four cords could be seen above the goo plunging within. A small speaker rested next to the cylinder. Merlot approached the console and pressed a button. A small mike telescoped out the top and stop a foot above its origin.
"It's almost time," Merlot spoke into the microphone. "We're in the final stages of the plan, and I'm about to perfect the process. You won't be waiting much longer. Are you as excited as I am?"
A crazed giggle quickly followed these words. Veridian was going to be thrilled. The look on her face would be priceless.
"Yes."
The voice rang clearly out the speaker through the room. Merlot's giggles changed into full blown laughter when he heard the voices response. This was going to be great! And this time, no one was going to stop him. Not Ozpin. Not those girls who destroyed his island. And not that inspirational little swordsman.
His laughter abruptly broke off at this thought. He realized once again that without that man, he never would have gotten this far. Nor the idea that led to the union of man and grimm.
His laughter began anew. He yelled through his cackling.
"You're coming for me, aren't you? Well, I'll welcome you with open arms! You've done so much for me just by existing! The proof that my work is not in vain! You'll finally see how beautiful you truly are…"
Mr. Grimm
How corny am I, am I right? I get the strangest feeling people are probably going to be irritated with this chapter, if any. Whether it's the ending, the content, or the portrayal of the characters therein. Whatever the case, tell me your thoughts. Love to hear some opinions. Maybe some questions? The story is set in stone though. Nothing said is likely to change it, but I'd love to read what's going through your heads. Next chapter might be a while. Originally, this and the previous chapter were one, but I decided they should be separate. That's why I have them out so fast after each other. Hope you enjoyed.
