Hello readers! Not dead, again!
Just lazy. That is a trait both my beta and I share.
Anways, enjoy!
START OF CHAPTER SIX
Also, Disclaimer so I don't get sued and all, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley is present within the text. I don't own RWBY, that's property of Roosterteeth(or Rooster Teeth)
Following our protagonists...
Although Pandora ran on through the Onyx Forest as fast as her legs could carry Brafez and Ariad, Brafez couldn't help but think that the worst had occurred. Ariad squeezed his shoulder in an attempt to comfort her friend, only able to imagine what he was going through.
Ariad had at least hated the people she had left behind, well, except for her father...But to think that Brafez could very likely be losing the people he knew and cared about at that very instant sent shivers down her spine.
"Thanks." Brafez whispered, sounding dead inside.
"Look, everything's-"
"Don't tell me that everything is going to be fine, because we both know it won't be." Brafez said, snapping at her.
"I was going to say that everything's most likely going well, but forget I said anything."
"Look, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's fine. I'm just worried."
"About what?"
"More like about who..."
The two remained in silence as Pandora trudged on, towards a sight that none of them had wanted to see.
Pandora burst over a hill overshadowing the valley in which Mithreal was situated, with the following sight stopping Pan in her tracks as mist shrouded the valley.
Brafez squinted, trying to see through the strange mist before it faded away, revealed to be smoke. His eyes widened as he saw the smoke trailing back to Mithreal, thinking only of the worst.
Ariad squeezed Brafez's shoulder even harder as they studied the valley. From here, the situation looked dire, and was probably even worse up-close.
It hurt her to see him like this; uneasy, nearly on the verge of tears. Yet he held them back. To him, now was not the time to cry; now was the time for action.
Ariad on the other hand felt terrible: if he hadn't shown up to save her, none of this would have happened.
"It's not your fault..." he meekly stated, noticing her shift in attitude. Nodding, Ariad noticed as he momentarily lapsed back into his ill state, and in response leaned over his shoulder to look him in the eyes.
"Wanna see my tits?" Ariad asked, catching him(and Pandora) off-guard.
"What?!" they both exclaimed, looking at her with confusion and disbelief.
"See, it worked!"
"What worked?" Brafez asked, almost himself again.
"I figured if I surprised you, you'd take your mind off of the bad shit." Ariad explained, flashing him a wide grin.
"You're...You're certainly something else." Brafez said, wandering off.
"And?" Ariad said expectantly.
"And...there's no one else I'd rather have as a friend." Brafez admitted, mildly shocking Ariad.
"Whoa bro, that's some mighty strong feelings you got there!"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said anything less of you. You're my friend, and...Well, I've never really had many outside friends. You're my first." Ariad was about to make a perverted comment before Brafez stopped her. "As in first outside friend. Not first to take my virginity."
"Ah, virginity, I remember those days..."
"You're not..."
"I mean, my hymen hasn't been penetrated yet-" Ariad stopped, seeing Brafez give her a long look.
"Ariad."
"Yes?"
"You do realize that the hymen grows back, do you?
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well you know what, that's a lie."
"Really? How so?"
"I don't know, why don't you check for yourself?"
"..." Ariad waggled her eyebrows at him, smirking. Brafez gave her an indifferent sigh, turning back to the task at hand. "So...have you?"
"Oh yeah...only once. Shame though." Fearing the answer, Brafez asked anyway.
"What age?"
"Um...eleven?" Brafez looked at her skeptically before Pan spoke up.
"Brafez...You might want to see this..." she said, hunkering her body down to the ground and crawling forward. As they broke through the edge of the forest, columns of smoke reached up into the sky, grasping at the setting sun.
Below the smoke stood the remnants of a shattered wooden wall, with a small pack of Beowulves warily approaching the hulk of wooden protection. His eyes blazing with blue fire, Brafez leapt from off of Pan's back and ran at the Grimm, his hands ablaze as he literally smashed into the group, tearing them limb from limb for their daring attempt at entering his home.
Jumping into the town, Brafez watched as his friends, his neighbors ran for their lives, away from groups of Grimm littering the town. Enraged, Brafez tore through the streets, saving lives as he turned into a blazing inferno of heat and anger.
Pandora and Ariad watched as he entered Mithreal, stunned by his actions. Ariad reached down and poked Pandora's snout, causing the girl in question to look at her.
"Seeing as how this is the fiftieth Dust robbery within the week, I wouldn't be surprised if the man himself made an appearance, no matter how idiotic it may be. But considering he has half the world in his hands, secrecy can be assured. No matter, when they get here, they may shoot first and ask questions later. So I suggest that you change back to human form and hide. You're the last thing he'll have left. Make the most of it." Ariad said, attempting to dismount before Pandora shifted, causing Ariad to crash down atop the Grimm girl.
"So," Pandora said, sticking her rear up as Ariad lay atop her. "It was nice of you to..drop in."
"Pandora, if you don't stop this right now, I'm getting you neutered." Ariad said, with the threat freezing Pandora in her place.
"No, not my womanhood! I need it!"
"Put me down, quietly." Ariad hissed, waiting as she was gently lowered to the ground.
"And be careful!" Ariad yelled back, grabbing Calypso from her belt and skulking forward down the ever-darkening riverbed that ran at the town of Mithreal before taking a sudden right. Uncapping the weapon, Ariad ran over to the hole in the wooden wall, taking a peek inside.
Brafez was certainly doing a number on the Grimm in the town, but something seemed to be happening further away, inside the town hall. Suddenly the building exploded in a blast of white, blinding her briefly before her vision returned, allowing her to see an old man in white robes and a really long beard with a wooden walking stick in his hand. Walking toward the old man was a view that made her blood boil; Roman Torchwick.
Inside the town hall...
The village elder smugly watched as Gemini hit the floor, dead. A simple tap on the back had done that to him, thanks to the elder's knowledge of pressure points and the limits of the human body. The other members that had been sent to "take care" of him raised their Dust-powered weaponry, pointing them at the old man.
"Tisk, tisk, didn't your mothers tell you to respect your elders?" The village elder asked, leaning on his walking stick. In response, the two thugs fired a hail of Dust rounds at him. The elder stood, snorting at the feeble display of "superior firepower" they called weapons. Flicking his wooden manipulator, the rounds abruptly shifted to the right, smashing into the marble wall.
Raising his walking stick once more, he pointed it at the two thugs like a "cane-nade launcher" and flicked the stick upwards, with a beam of white energy erupting from the ground and vaporizing the thugs along with the roof and an unfortunate satellite that had entered the space above the beam. Somewhere, someone is saying "There goes HBO again."
Walking out of the town hall, the elder looked around to see hundreds of Grimm having the audacity to walk through his town and terrorise his citizens. With his blood boiling, the elder strode down the steps and into the street below before raising his cane and glancing behind him.
"And you must be the leader of this...operation? Well, I'll tell you what I think of this! I think-" The elder was interrupted as the small time criminal Roman Torchwick shot a grenade at him, which the elder deflected into a crowd of Grimm not too far away with his carved support. "Oh, now you've done it." The elder said dangerously, closing the distance between them and swinging lightly at the criminal, which Roman took as an invitation to do battle with the elder.
Thinking that this would be over quickly, Roman pointed his cane at the old man and fired in his general direction. When the smoke cleared, the elder was still standing there, not having moved.
Thinking that it would be best to try the same tactic twice, he brought his cane up once more before it was ejected from his hands as the elder went to work on the poor criminal. Wielding the weapon like an artist, the village elder quite calmly subdued his assailant before Roman magically pulled out another cane, identical to his original, and fought back, though not as expertly as the elder had.
Speaking of, the elder had no problem dodging, ducking and weaving under Torchwick's attacks and parrying with several of his own, meant to disable. When it seemed an advantage was being gained over the criminal, a woman in a red dress readied an anti-material sniper rifle on a ridge overlooking Mithreal. Aiming down the sights, she lined up a shot, and squeezed the trigger...
Brafez snapped the neck of a Grimm that had dared to hurt his friends, throwing the Ursi carcass into a few more Grimm before he set them ablaze. Advancing further inward, Brafez headed in the direction of the town hall, hoping to see his elder.
As Brafez rounded the corner, a blinding white light flashed up into the sky, leaving motes of purple and green in his vision. Finally regaining his vision, Brafez saw his elder engaging in combat with a strange unknown man in a white coat.
Not one to allow his elder to have all the fun, Brafez advanced on the scene before, out of nowhere, Ariad tackled him to the ground and held him there as a gunshot rang out, with Brafez trying to see past Ariad.
"Please don't look." Ariad said, with empathy in her voice. Brafez, not heeding her words, looked at the scene ahead of them and saw his elder, the one he had grown to call family, on his knees, with the strange man in front of him and holding a cane to the elder's forehead. Realizing what was about to happen, Brafez struggled out of Ariad's grasp, only managing to make it a few feet before Ariad tackled him once more.
"Let go of me!" Brafez yelled, trying to escape from her grasp before a loud sound like thunder echoed across the air, making him turn back and see the headless body of his elder hit the ground, sending a fire coursing through the boy's body. "NO!" Brafez cried, his semblance engaging and setting his entire body on fire as he struggled even more.
All the moments he had spent with his elder flashed before his eyes, bringing with it denial and utter devastation to Brafez's emotional state. The sound of Ariad crying out in pain didn't reach his ears as he struggled even more, with tears evaporating the moment they left his eyes.
"Brafez! Brafez stop! You're hurting me!" Ariad cried, the heat too much for her Aura to withstand as flames licked her arms. The sentence sent a spike through Brafez's mind, his vision flashing orange as a view of an eleven-year old Ariad appeared, apparently yelling at him.
"You sick fuck! Get away!" Brafez heard her yell, before he felt as if his lips were moving of their own volition.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"Get the fuck away from me! Go!" Ariad yelled back, kicking the view away as the vision ended, bringing Brafez back to reality. Snapping out of his haze, Brafez extinguished himself before Ariad could come to any further harm. Tears ran down his cheeks as he grieved over the death of one of his closest friends.
"I'm so sorry." Ariad whispered in his ear in a mourning tone, hauling him to his feet and dragging him away from the scene, leaving behind the horror.
"P-please let me go...I-I just want...t-to say goodbye." Brafez said, struggling to form words into coherent sentences.
"I know how you feel, but I need to get us out of here." she said in her best soothing voice, seeming to calm him down. Looking around, Ariad saw fires burning throughout the town and Grimm prowling the streets. Seeing as Brafez was in no position to fight, much less stand, Ariad looked for a way out of the town, eventually retreating down a dark alley as a patrol of Grimm passed by. "Brafez, I need your help." Ariad said, looking at him.
"W-with what?" Brafez whispered, holding down his grief momentarily. Ariad sighed with relief, glad that he was somewhat stable.
"I need to know...I need to know if there are any places we could hide." Ariad asked, looking at him with hesitation.
"Mithreal Cavern." Brafez muttered, holding her wrists tightly. Ariad squeezed out a small smile before seeking out a map or directions to the gorge. After a few minutes of searching, Brafez asked if he could lead the way to the gorge. As he knew the area better than she herself did, Ariad all but jumped on the opportunity.
Further away...
"Where's all the Dust!" Whiskey yelled, throwing a vase at our beloved mysterious stranger. The vase bounced off of his chest, though his expression remained one of indifference.
"Up your butt and around the corner." The stranger deadpanned, crossing his arms as two goons from Whiskey's team approached him.
"This is going nowhere! Barcelona, take care of the fuck!" Whiskey ordered, with one of the goons raising his gun at the stranger, before said stranger merely scoffed. Before Barcelona could fire at the stranger, the stranger snapped his fingers and a giant black tentacle crushed the goons into a red paste.
"Great! Now I'm down to myself, Alpha, and Braze!"
"Actually, it's just you and Braze left. I killed Alpha a couple of seconds ago." The stranger said, absentmindedly rising into the air and out of a hole in the roof.
"Shit!" Whiskey yelled, yunning a few fingers through his auburn hair. A knock at the door made Whiskey raise his head.
"Boss, I found something that I think you'll like."
"Lay it on me." Whiskey said, exhausted from the day's events.
"I found the cat and her friend." Whiskey raised his eyebrows; maybe this hadn't been a wasted trip after all. (Spoiler alert: It was.) "And guess where they were going?"
A smile creased the leader's face as he strode out the door with Braze in tow along with his pet, Viscera. They headed for the last known location of the Grey Storm, Ariad, and Brafez.
Back with our protagonists...
The roar of the fire bounced back and forth across the cave's walls, echoing throughout the 16 by 16 cavern. Ariad leaned against the leftmost wall, her grey cat eyes attuned to the surrounding darkness on account of her natural night-vision. Brafez was huddled in front of their campfire, his obscured eyes distant and preoccupied.
"Brafez?" Ariad hesitantly asked, due to her friend having not said anything since he had led her down here.
"Yes?" Brafez asked back, his voice hollow and distracted. And rightfully so, Ariad thought, watching him glance back at the fire in front of him. Having one of your closest friends die in front of you, while you watched, helpless? That had to hurt inside.
"This," she stopped, walking over to him and sitting down. Ariad sighed before scratching one of her cat ears, stalling. Finally, she found the will to speak. "This is probably a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Are you okay, Brafez?"
Brafez studied the question, mulling his answer over. Was he okay? His longest friend, one that he considered family, killed by a man he only knew by name? No, he wasn't okay; in fact, he was barely holding himself together. And he knew better than to lie to himself, much less Ariad. "Okay? I think I'm anything but okay," his voice was hoarse and weak, barely echoing off the cave walls.
"Do...Do you want to talk about it?" Ariad asked, uncertain. She didn't want to push him any farther than he already had been. Plus, she had never really talked about stuff like this, much less listened. And Brafez...He sounded so brittle, like he was ready to shatter into a million pieces. "What was his name?"
"...Nicholas. Nicholas Zamkenski." Brafez said distantly, flicking a finger to the right, with the campfire following. They remained silent for a while, letting the sound of the fire bounce around. Finally, Ariad broke the silence, flinging a rock into the darkness. The rock hit the far wall a few seconds later, sounding like a thunderclap right next to your ear.
"How...um, how long did you know him?"
"Are you asking what I remember, or what I know?" Brafez inquired, turning to her. His memories were a special case, with bits and pieces from the past twelve years of his life floating to the surface of his mind every now and then. But, there were also things he knew, like that he had trained for most of his life.
"Either way works." Ariad replied, shrugging. She was grateful to get him talking again.
"What I know...he took me in as an infant, after my parents died fighting Wenfrijer. When I was...four? Five? He gave me the tools to exact my revenge, along with the training. He was a good friend of my parents...I don't know why they died for me...I think it was a disease? Hemoglobin?" Brafez said aloud, cocking his head to the side, and giving him the appearance of a curious puppy.
"Hemo-? What? Philia?" Ariad inquired, running a hand through her hair, before yelping as Brafez snapped his fingers and inadvertently causing the fire to expand rapidly, almost burning Ariad. "So, that is your disease?"
"Sorry. Hemophilia. Yes...I remember having to take coagulant pills every morning. I took them so I could train. I trained everyday, with my elder turning to less than legal measures for training...I remember a girl." Brafez muttered, looking into the fire. Ariad tensed up at the mention, before counting to five and exhaling. After a few moments, a face appeared in the fire, both welcome and familiar.
"You." Brafez said, looking at Ariad. She responded by glancing at him with something akin to fear, yet, it seemed more like...a want for acceptance.
"I...I'm sorry I never told you...I just-" Ariad started to say, rising to her feet as she fumbled with an explanation. But, she didn't run, she stood her ground. That was one thing out of many about Ariad that Brafez respected; when faced with emotional or physical difficulties, she always took the heat head-on.
"It's fine. You're my friend. You're safe here." Brafez gestured next to him, reassuring her. Ariad nodded and sat back down, though the awkwardness was evident in her movements. "Look, whatever happened...The fact that you taught me once? That doesn't matter, I don't care. What matters most to me, is that you're here, as my friend, comforting me when I damn well need it. All the supposed bad blood between us? Our pasts? I don't care about any of it. I care about you."
"I...um...thanks." Ariad said, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. She was unaccustomed to the generosity and care that she was receiving, especially from a friend. "You...You don't want to know?"
"I don't care. It's up to you if I need to know my past." Brafez replied, shrugging. The fire flickered for a second, before blowing out completely. All that remained was two red, soulless eyes, glaring at Brafez. Brafez slowly backed away, reaching for Fenrir. Ariad was quicker, grabbing Calypso from her belt and handing Fenrir to Brafez. He gave her a silent thanks before reigniting the campfire, illuminating the dark cavern.
The Grimm took a step forward, one of its massive black paws crushing the campfire into oblivion and extinguishing the fire under its bony paw. The cave went pitch-black, except for the seemingly alive glow of Brafez's gauntlets and the Grimm's beady, soulless eyes. Brafez summoned a fireball, making it glow brighter than the sun and giving them a a complete view of their intruder.
"Well...shit." Ariad muttered breathlessly, watching the Grandiose Beowulf snarl at them. Columns of white spines ran up its back, with the black skin molted and calloused with age. The beast was easily the size of a car, and much deadlier than high-speed traffic. In addition, there were metal plates grafted into the Beowulf's skin, covering what its natural bone-plating could not, and reinforcing the existing protection.
It's claws extended nearly a foot out, metal surgically attached to the claws to enhance their lethality. The Grimm growled, the sound reverberating throughout the cave. The Grandiose Beowulf, however, remained staring at Brafez.-(Mid-chapter update; whilst watching the RWBY DVD, I noticed that the spellings of Beowulf and Deathstalker in this story are incorrect, therefore, rather than go back and correct these mistakes, I have chosen to use the easiest cop-out and say that the certain species of Grimm are distant relatives of the Grimm within the show. As of now, when we enter the second arc, the spellings shall be correct. However, Beowulf is a more badass spelling of the actual name and I stand by that fact. Back to your irregularly scheduled story.)-
Brafez shivered as he looked into those beady, soulless eyes that were so much like Pandora's, yet not as welcoming or lust-filled. He imagined all the ways this Grimm could end his life, and internally laughed. It was funny, Brafez thought, that even though he had killed a Beastrouss, one of the most powerful Grimm known to man, a Grandiose Beowulf scared him.
"Viscera!" A loud, Scottish accented voice called out, with the Grimm slowly retreating. A man stepped out of the shadows behind the Grimm, before placing a massive hand on the Grimm's head and petting it lovingly. Ariad swallowed, watching the man intently.
"Brazeazel." Ariad said coldly, looking at the man. She glanced into the surrounding darkness, watching for the other. "Where's Whiskey?"
"You'd like ta knoe that, wouldn't ya lassie?" Brazeazel chuckled, still petting Viscera.
Brafez felt a wind coming from his left, and in turn raised a shield on his opposite side along with giving Ariad her own. Two combat knives clashed against the respective shields in a burst of red Dust, wielded by a tall man in all black garb. A skull patch sat on the shoulder of his black trenchcoat, the top split by a lightning bolt. Auburn hair stuck out from underneath a black helmet, with quicksilver eyes glancing between the two.
The attacker jumped up and kicked both their shields, sending them to the ground while he disappeared in a gust of wind.
The attacker reappeared next to Brazeazel and sheathed his knives, before lowering his balaclava from his face to reveal a satisfied, predatory grin.
"Whiskey Tango." Ariad growled, springing to her feet. Thunder sounded off above them, coming from the outside world.
"The one and only, kitten. What do you say, Brazeazel, thirty seconds?" Whiskey said, looking at the Grimm handler.
"I say twen-nee. The lass 'ull run fast." Brazeazel responded, having stopped petting Viscera. Ariad tensed up, her grey eyes lit with determination.
"Brafez," she said, looking at him. "Run. I'll hold them off."
"What?" Brafez asked, surprised. He then shook his head and reached for Fenrir, stopping as Ariad grabbed his hand and gave him an urgent look.
"Run. You can't handle them." Ariad stated, her voice serious and hard as steel. Brafez gave her an equally defiant glare, before stopping as Whiskey raised his hand, counting down from five. He reached zero and lowered his hand, going for his knives. Viscera growled happily, eager to hunt.
"Go." Ariad repeated, shoving him backwards. Brafez grudgingly took the hint and ran. He made it halfway across the cavern, glancing back every few seconds before a single word stopped him in his tracks; "Hunt."
Viscera bounded after him like a cheetah on steroids, swatting Ariad aside like a sack of potatoes as she moved to defend him. Brafez watched her slam into the far wall, before rising weakly. Viscera was already the better half on its way to reaching him, yet he stood and summoned a fireball.
Following Ariad...
"Looks like curiosity killed the cat." Ariad heard Whiskey say through the pain in her sides, followed by the sound of a knife being drawn from its sheath. She groaned at the cliché line, ignoring the fact that he was only about twenty inches away.
She looked up and saw him approaching her, hell-bent on ending her right there. Calypso sat several feet away, having been knocked out of her grasp as she had been sent flying. Ariad gasped heavily before unclipping the sickle attached to the chain around her neck, rising slowly to her full height.
"If it's a knife-fight you want, it's a knife-fight you'll get." Ariad retorted, raising her sickle in a backwards grip, mustering through the pain to create a weak defense. Right as Whiskey was about to attack her, a fireball slammed into his side and sent him flying into a passage, away from Ariad. A quick look confirmed Brafez had stopped to defend her, using precious seconds he didn't have. She pointed in the direction of Brafez, and he nodded in understanding, turning around and running away, with Viscera hot on his heels.
Ariad shook her head to clear away the black spots forming in her vision before running into the passage after Whiskey. Every twelve feet she would stop and fall to a knee, blinking away the growing pain in her abdomen. Ariad finally reached the end of the passage, her mouth momentarily gaping in wonder as she studied the room. The cavern was shaped like a sphere, with a bowl descending into the ground seven feet from the passage.
A light hung from the ceiling, apparently made of a combination of various gasses and minerals. The orb of light gave the room a sickly green tint, and barely gave off enough light for a human to see. The sound of metallic clicking echoed from the far wall, with a couple of rocks falling down into the bowl before disappearing in a splash.
A gust of wind blew from her left, and Ariad hopped away, barely dodging a swing from Whiskey's Dust-infused combat knives. A pair of night-vision goggles hugged his face, giving him the sight he needed. Ariad in turn sank into the ground, fading from view as she sunk into an arcane symbol. Her vision turned a ghastly cyan, with wisps of energy flowing from Whiskey. Ghosts and spirits shambled aimlessly around the room, leaving them alone.
Ariad ran forward and drew her sickle, grunting as she exited Elsewyre through a mid-air symbol and flew toward Whiskey. She rolled under a slash from Whiskey before kicking the ground and sending herself at the wall, with another knife embedded into the spot where she had been moments before. Ariad tensed her legs and kicked off the wall, slashing at Whiskey before he had time to react. When she pulled away, her sickle was covered in a small coating of crimson.
Whiskey growled and drew several knives before throwing them at her with deadly precision. Ariad jumped backwards, contorting her body as to not be eviscerated. When she landed, Ariad immediately ran at her attacker, juking and jiving past multiple knives before she finally tackled him into the bowl, both of them rolling into the shallow pool of water below.
Ariad stood first and swung at Whiskey, who blocked the attack with one knife before retorting with another, slashing at her waist. Ariad dodged just in time, with the knife only showing a small amount of her stomach. She backed away, her eyes narrowed. Whiskey stood up, flinging the scrap of her tank top into the water.
"You'll have to try harder than that to kill me." Ariad said, circling the former-commando. Whiskey in response vanished into the wind, leaving Ariad on high-alert. Ariad spun around and brought her sickle up in an underhanded swing, blocking Whiskey as he reappeared behind her. She jumped and kicked his chest, sending him stumbling back as she fell into another arcane symbol, entering Elsewyre.
She reappeared behind him and swung, parrying his attack as she exited Elsewyre. A quick use of her semblance destroyed two of Whiskey's knives, leaving him open for a second attack.
He in turn brought up his arms, taking the hit. Whiskey then backhanded her away, taking out one extremely large knife and holding it at her. Ariad silently charged him.
As their fight went on, Ariad felt her brain kick into overdrive, blocking hits before they could even reach her and finding openings in Whiskey's defenses. Once she had reached the third strike, Ariad noticed that Whiskey was purposefully opening up, almost as if he wanted to die.
Then it hit her; he did want to die.
And she was the reason for it.
Ariad shook her head, turning back to the task at hand and delivering an uppercut, knocking him away.
He came right back at her, knife raised over his head. Ariad then focused on blocking and dodging his attacks, going on the offensive. Seeking an end to this fight, Ariad dropped to the ground and swept Whiskey's feet out from under him. She sprang forward, burying her sickle into his chest up to the hilt.
"Well...shit." Ariad muttered, looking down at the knife digging into her chest, piercing her heart. She fell off to the side, a panicked look in her eyes. Her vision was fading rapidly and she was hyperventilating.
Whiskey lay beside her, an arm reaching for her. He grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers together. Ariad squeezed it, trying to control her breathing.
"Remember, j-just like I showed you..." Whiskey said, looking at her with pained eyes.
Ariad nodded once, grasping the hilt of the knife and yanking it out. Blood started pouring from her chest. Ariad rolled away from him, crawling until she collapsed into the water, turning it red.
"Ergh...blegh." Ariad shook her head, turning away from the now-deceased Whiskey.
"I'm sorry Wilson, I'm sorry...I just hope that you-" she never finished speaking, for her heart beat one last time, and then stopped.
The world in her vision rapidly switched from the real world to Elsewyre, with the ghosts and spirits climbing down into the bowl, coming to retrieve their souls.
Ariad's POV...
This is it. This is how I will die. This sucks. I'm only fourteen. I should be in school, not dying in some no-name cave in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe it's for the best? Nah, I'm much too...I'm much too what? What defines my life? What legacy shall I leave in my absence? My work as an assassin? That hardly seems fair. My life has been fucked enough, now I have to die underground?
And...And what about Brafez? What if he dies because of me? I already got his whole fucking town burned down. He probably thinks that it's all my fault. If only he had let me die that day...then we wouldn't be friends. Real friends. That's a strange word. Real.
He really is my friend; my only true friend. Those aren't easy to come by. I can just imagine him, standing over me, shaking my shoulders. His soft Atlesian accent sending chills down my spine...oh dear, it appears that I may have acquired a small crush on the boy. It was that damned accent, I just knew it! Dust damnit Brafez! Why must you do this to me while I'm dying, not before?
Dummkopf. Speaking of, I wonder how the Schnees are doing. Probably getting rich off all that Dust I stole back from Torchwick. Bum-rags.
Ah well, it seems as if my life is coming to a close, so goodbye...on second thought, it occurs to me that during my little tirade, if I was going to die, I would have done so long ago. Maybe I won't die down here. And maybe I'll get to hear that orgasmic accent again. It would be nice.
Ariad sat up slowly, having just recovered from being stabbed in the heart. Her head felt light, probably because of all the blood she had lost. She stumbled up the bowl, stopping every few minutes to take a breath. As she reached the top, a roar like a mix between an eagle and a tiger sent a feeling of dread through Ariad, and she hurried towards the sound...
Back with Brafez...
Brafez ran down a long corridor, the Beowulf known as Viscera breathing down his neck. He summoned a fireball and threw it ahead of him, illuminating the dark passage. The corridor continued on for about two miles before giving away to a dead-end. About half a mile away from him was a hole in the wall, which he hoped he could use to escape from this Grandiose Beowulf.
Brafez sprinted down the passage, the hole in sight. He was almost there, only a couple more feet to go. Brafez gave it his all, his legs screaming in pain as he ran at the hole. Five feet away...four feet...three...two, o- Brazeazel stepped out of the hole, kicking Brafez away just as he rounded the corner.
Brafez spun around, stopping as Viscera came into view, feet away from him. Brafez moved to retaliate before he stopped, his body lifting into the air against his will. It felt like three white-hot daggers burning in his stomach, raising him up.
It was then, in his haste, that he realized he had forgotten to reactivate his shields. Death by stupidity, Brafez thought grimly.
Brafez looked down. Viscera had a paw touching his stomach, with the Grimm's claws impaling his abdomen. The Grimm snarled happily, raising Brafez into the air. Brafez grimaced in agony as the Grimm sank its claws upwards and spun them around inside of him, turning several of his internal organs into ribbons. Brafez felt his body slump against the claws, his vision turning dim.
A feeling of defiance, anger directed at this fate, rose through him, his vision turning sharp and his world regaining color. Not again, Brafez thought, his hands starting to smoke. Brafez instinctively grabbed the Grimm's paw with both hands, the edges of his vision starting to catch fire. A tiger-like jaw protruded from the bottom of his vision, made of orange fire. A visor blazed from the top of his view, resembling a beak.
Had one been looking from the outside, Brafez's head would have been engulfed in a helmet made of fire, resembling a crow's skull with a sabre-toothed jaw in place of the bird's mandible. From his back, a pair of bird wings stood, made entirely of fire. Then, his entire body burst into flames, with only his silhouette to show that he had not been turned to ashes. Brafez's vision was fully encompassed by fire, yet he could see clearly.
Brafez roared in defiance, his hands burning into the Grimm's paw before he sent out a blast of fire, blowing everything around him away. He landed on one knee, supporting his weight with a free hand as he glared at the Grandiose Beowulf.
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME!" Brafez exclaimed, his voice sounded like it was on fire.
The Grimm roared a challenge, bounding towards him. Brafez stood up and screeched back, the sound exiting his mouth like that of a Tiger/Bald Eagle hybrid.
Brafez charged at the Grimm, with claws of fire growing from his hands. The two adversaries clashed, with Brafez clawing away at the Grimm in unstoppable fury. The Grimm roared and swiped at his side, with the metal claws evaporating from the heat as they reached his side. Brafez in turn threw a flaming uppercut into the Grimm, sending it flying down the corridor. He stalked after the Grandiose Beowulf, floating gently above the ground, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.
Brafez reached the Grimm in seconds and tore into the beast, burning out chunks of metal and flesh with his attacks. Viscera retreated down the corridor towards the dead end, helpless against this indestructible opponent. Brafez slashed at the ground, leaving deep marks in the rock which fire rose out of. The fire washed over Viscera, making it tire from the oppressive heat. The Grimm roared weakly and attempted to attack Brafez, only to receive a vaporized hand in return.
Brafez hovered towards the Grimm, intent on burning it alive. A Dust round vaporized against his back, but had the desired effect of distracting him. Brafez turned around to see Brazeazel pointing a carbine at him, the barrel smoking. Viscera saw this and swiped at his back, sending ripples of pain throughout Brafez. The Grimm paid dearly for this as Brafez spun around, a ball of fire gathering in the maw of his crow skull.
Brafez opened his fiery maw, unleashing a white-hot burst of fire at the Grimm, turning it into ash and then turning those ashes to ashes. The lip of the drop was vaporized, and the air grew warm as the fire burned away the beast. Brafez stopped as he felt the Grimm vanish from existence, leaving only him and Brazeazel left. Brafez turned around and stalked towards the Grimm handler, vaporizing the gun in his hand with the flick of his wrist.
A fireball grew in his hand as Brafez advanced in the direction of Brazeazel, the air growing uncomfortably warm. Brazeazel backed away from him, halting as tendrils of fire held him in place. All he could do was watch as Brafez slowly approached him, his hand reared back. Brafez stopped in front of the helpless Grimm handler, his hand raised to strike him down. Just as he was about to go for the kill, a fist erupted from Brazeazel's chest, covered in blood.
Brafez stopped, curiously watching as Brazeazel slumped against the wrist, dead. The body fell away to reveal Ariad, her tank top and sweatpants soaked in blood and water. The bottom of her tank top had torn away, revealing her midriff.
"Brafez?" Ariad asked, looking at him in awe. Brafez stopped and looked at his raised hand, before the fire extinguished, leaving him confused in its wake. He'd almost done it. Almost taken the life of another. He shuddered in horror.
"A-Ariad?" Brafez stuttered, falling against her. They stumbled around in the darkness before Ariad brought them over to a wall, both of them collapsing against it.
"Brafez." Ariad repeated, hugging him tightly. Brafez hugged back before starting to shiver, his energy gone. Ariad held him tighter, running a hand through his hair, his hood down.
"A-Ariad...What h-happened?" Brafez asked, shivering once more.
"Ah, you know...the usual." Ariad managed, giving both of them a brief laugh.
"That's a lot of blood on your chest." Brafez added, slightly blushing as he looked away.
"That's a lot of hair on your chin for someone who's only fourteen." Ariad playfully retorted, flicking his head with her finger. Brafez pulled back slightly, giving her a concerned look. The veil in front of his eyes lowered, revealing soft, midnight-blue eyes. Nothing like she had been expecting.
The last time she had seen those eyes was several years ago. They had been cruel, uncaring eyes. Hard as steel. Little to no emotion at all. A grade-A psychopath's eyes. But now they were different. Caring as a loved one, soft as velvet sheets, as dreamy as the midnight sky...
Ariad leaned in and kissed him, her lips brushing against his before she pulled away hurriedly. Brafez looked stunned for a moment before he blinked, slowly, with purpose. He then pulled her closer until their foreheads touched, his eyes staring deep into her own.
"Ariad Greyhound," Brafez said with conviction, sounding as sure as he ever had been. "My friend and ally."
"Oh boy." Ariad muttered.
"From this day forth, I shall be there for you when you need me. I will be your shoulder to cry on, and you, mine. I will stand by you to the end of time. Know that I will protect you with my life until it no longer ceases to exist. You are my friend. You are the storm, and I the lightning by which you shall strike down your enemies. You are my friend."
Ariad remained speechless for some time before saying "Brafez, I like you and all, but you really suck at speeches."
"Thanks." Brafez muttered, disheartened. Ariad placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Brafez looked back at her skeptically. Ariad nodded her head, smiling.
"You're my first friend. You are my first true friend, Brafez. I believe you. I know you won't let anything happen to me," Brafez started to smile a bit before Ariad pointed at him. "However, I also don't want you to feel bad because I chose to do something for you. It will always be my decision. If it was between my life and yours, I'd choose you. So don't you ever feel like it is your fault, because it isn't. Okay?"
"Okay...Ari." Brafez smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead and pulling away. While he meant it as a friend, Ariad couldn't help but feel something more...powerful. Yet, it also felt stunted, unknown. Almost like he was emotionally stunted.
"Right so...we just both survived near-death experiences...we're both pretty tired...why don't we just go to sleep?" Ariad asked aloud, looking back at the cave. Brafez nodded, agreeing with her.
They both remained silent before walking back towards the center cavern, uncaring of the darkness. They stopped at the campfire before Brafez tried to start it, failing to do so.
Ariad rested him against the wall and retrieved a red crystal from her pocket, which she threw at the campfire with a boost from her semblance. The fire started up again, giving them a much-needed warmth. Ariad nodded appreciably and walked back to Brafez, sitting down next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. The two stared at the fire, slowly letting sleep take them away...
A day later...
Ariad slowly opened one eye, waking up. Brafez lay next to her, breathing slowly. Ariad smiled at the sight before she looked around the room, stopping as she saw a group of seven. Pandora said something, yet Ariad was too tired to make out any coherence. The stranger replied, gesturing towards them with a hand cannon. The other five were unknown, with four of them being guards and the fifth being a man in a white business suit.
The stranger and the man were deep in conversation, ignoring Pandora as she pointed over to them. Ariad blinked, watching as Pandora threw up her hands in frustration before bounding over to them. Pandora stopped and knelt down in front of her, before reaching out a hand and tilting her head up. Though it seemed as though she was checking to see that she was awake, indifference turned into shock as Pandora kissed her on the lips, with her serpentine tongue depositing a small object onto Ariad's tongue.
The kiss persisted for a few more seconds before Pandora pulled away, satisfied. The Grimm girl then repeated the process with Brafez, albeit faster. Soon after, Ariad felt her hearing return, along with the ability to move and speak. Ariad looked at the Grimm in anger and annoyance, to which Pandora responded by kissing her again.
"Good morning, beautiful!" Pandora said, looking at her with the biggest smile ever. Ariad felt her jaw loosen up with the last kiss, and in turn flung a storm of profanities at the Grimm girl.
"And lastly, I implore you to go fuck yourself with a flaming cactus!" Ariad yelled, finishing her rant.
"You done?" Pandora asked, leaning forward.
"I swear, if you kiss me one more time-...ohhhh, D-Dust that feels orgasmic." Ariad said, her eyes rolling up in pleasure as Pandora gently massaged her cat ears.
"Better?" Pandora teased, pulling her hands away from Ariad.
"Much...betterrrrr." Ariad replied, purring loudly. Brafez stired next to her, waking up.
"A-Ariad? Pan? What's happening?" Brafez inquired, groggy.
"You know that stranger?" Pandora asked, pointing to the group.
"Yeah?" Brafez and Ariad said together, looking at the stranger.
"Well, he's working out a deal to get us jobs for the Schnee Dust Company."
"Actually, I just did." The stranger said, appearing before them. A pair of tentacles burst from the wall and gently helped the two friends to their feet, before receding back into the wall.
"Come along." The stranger gestured for the two to follow him, and together, they shambled in their sleep-deprived steps towards the group, awaiting what life would throw at them next...
About an hour later...
They waited in Mithreal's former town hall, the four exchanging small talk. Winds whipped up around them, announcing the arrival of the transports. Two Schnee heavily-armored Bullheads landed in front of them, with the doors opening and allowing them aboard.
"All right, everyone get on." The stranger barked, causing the three to jump into action. Brafez and Ariad took the first Bullhead while Pandora took the second.
As they were sitting down, they noticed the stranger hadn't joined them. "You're not coming with us?" Brafez asked over the roar of the turbines.
"No. This your path. I have my own. Try to stay alive, why don't you? I don't need a repeat of the last time."
"What do you mean, 'last time?'"
"It has nothing to do with you, I assure you of that. I was referring to this one time in Russia during 1916, somewhere during the later days of December...long story, too short of a time to tell it. Maybe I'll tell you when we meet again!" The stranger said, backing away from the Bullheads as the doors closed and they took off into the cool, night air.
"Humans...," The stranger mused, staring at a picture of a woman in blue, a symbol of a belt atop the universe on her jacket. "Such loathsome, fickle creatures. It appears that I'll have to take care of this one earlier than expected." The stranger said, dropping the photograph and walking away. A wind blew the picture on its front, revealing a name on the back, "Xanthos Oriona."
On the way to the Schnee Estate...
Ariad looked around the small compartment they were seated in, seeing nothing but grey tones and white snowflakes. Then it struck her that she had never really thanked Brafez for...anything really. Not in her mind, at least. Getting up, she walked over to Brafez and got on her knees, drawing the expected reaction.
"What are you doing?" Brafez asked skeptically, moving away from her. Ariad sighed with annoyance; she never said she was easy.
"Get back here. No, I'm serious, get back here. Jesus Brafez, if I was going to give you head I would have you halfway to heaven already!" Ariad said, noting his reactions.
"Fine." Brafez said, reluctantly moving back to in front of her. "What do you want?"
"I'm thanking you. Give me your hands." Ariad said, waiting for him to do so.
"You're really not helping your case, you know that?" Brafez said jokingly, stopping once he saw the glare Ariad was giving him. Not to be cliché, but if looks could kill, Brafez would have been 48-feet under.
"Hang on, let me just clear my throat," Ariad muttered, aware to the look Brafez was giving her. "Yeah, yeah, and they say I'm perverted."
"What are you doing?"
"Hang on, it's been a while since I've done this..." Ariad said, clearing her throat loudly.
"Really?"
"Shut up. Okay, I think I got it...gimme a second..."
"Ariad-" Brafez was about to stop her before he realized, Ariad was singing under her breath. And very well to boot.
"All right, I've got it. A one, a two, a threee...I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo, in so much space. And when you're out there, without care, yeah, I was out of touch. But it wasn't because I didn't know enough...I just knew too much. Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Probably." The voice that exited her mouth was angelic and powerful, matching each note perfectly, as if she was the one to originally sing it.
"And I hope that you are having the time of your life. But think twice, that's my only advice. Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are? Ha ha ha, bless your soul... you really think you're in control? Well, I think you're crazy. I think you're crazy. I think you're crazy. Just like me." Ariad stopped briefly, taking a breath before continuing on.
"My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb. And all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them...Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun. And it's no coincidence I've come. And I can die when I'm done. But maybe I'm crazy...Maybe you're crazy...Maybe we're crazy...Possibly." Ariad hung her head in exhaustion, tuning out the world as she retreated to her seat. Brafez looked on, awestruck. He started to clap, catching Ariad's attention.
"What?" Ariad asked, surprised by his applause.
"What? 'What?' That was beautiful!" Brafez exclaimed, causing Ariad to blush deeply.
"T-thanks. I-I was kinda worried about it since I haven't sung in a while, but I didn't think I was that good." Ariad meekly stated, avoiding looking at Brafez. "D-do you really think I was good?" She asked, looking at him with uncertainty.
"You were great. I promise. You sang beautifully." Brafez said, complimenting her and further deepening the blush, turning her cheeks scarlet.
"T-thanks." Ariad muttered, before smirking with content. "Don't think you'll hear that voice anytime soon, I have a reputation to uphold."
"And what exactly do you mean? The adorable Ariad or the one who can sing like an angel?"
"Hey! I'm only adorable because I'm insecure about my singing. Anything else I can handle. Singing and compliments about the expertise of my singing I don't deal well with."
"Okay, whatever you say...kitty." The last part Brafez whispered, but Ariad still heard him due to her hypersensitive hearing.
"Likewise, blue balls." Ariad said, watching his reaction and promptly laughing.
"Did you just give me a nickname that relates to when-"
"Okay, okay, it wasn't the best one, but it was the only thing I could think of. There's not many nicknames for 'Brafez'."
"Maybe something less offensive shall fit?"
"I don't know if you like that kind of stuff, I'm just imply-"
"Ariad!"
"Yes?" Ariad asked, tilting her head to the side and widening her pupils, giving her the affect of a playful kitten.
"Don't...don't do that. It's too cute for me." Brafez said, looking away from the deathly-adorable sight.
"Some could say that I'm purr-fectly adorable." Ariad said, sitting rather smugly as she chuckled.
"You laughing at your own joke Ari?"
"Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny." Ariad admitted, audibly chuckling. The laughter calmed to a not unwelcome silence, punctuated only by the sound of muffled turbines and wind. Ariad finally broke the silence, telling a joke.
"Hey, why did the monkey fall out of the tree?"
"Why?" Brafez asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted the answer.
"Because it died." Ariad said, making Brafez laugh more than either of them had expected.
"Ah...That was a funny one." Brafez mused with content, looking at the ocean below. A sight caught his eye, bringing a memory forth. "Atlas...San Helios, the unofficial capital of Atlas. Never been there before, yet I have all the same...training...with a girl. Why can't I remember the whole story?"
"Amnesia?" Ariad put forth, leaving the word lingering in the air. Brafez thought about it; the idea would make sense, except...something felt wrong.
"No...It just doesn't fit." Brafez mused, mulling it over. Why didn't it fit? What was missing from that particular theory? He had no recollection of the past fourteen years of his life, except for bits and pieces, and that certainly fit the amnesia theory...
Brafez sighed dejectedly, closing his eyes and attempting to sleep, as it was going to be a very long ride there. Finally, sleep came to him, and he drifted slowly into his dreamworld...
Feelings. Memories. Connections to the past and keys to the future.
Brafez drifted through the memories in a haze. He remembered someone he once knew. A girl. He rembered a girl. Wavy purple hair...
He shifted through the memories, the feelings, dredging up emotions he thought he'd never have...
Regret. The stench of death. Anger. Confusion. Overwhelming depression. Exuberant jubilation. These feelings were not his own, and yet, they were.
Finally, he found a letter. A W, written in cursive. Left-handed. Female, age... E. That was the next letter. He stopped, feeling it become harder to think, to sort through his own mind. Like there was a barrier that mentally blocked his progression. He thought about something else, and the next letter came to mind, though distorted and blurry, a result of the barrier coming ever closer...
He sought out the next, grabbing it in a frenzy before stopping as a shadow encompassed his mind. A shadow of death, a feeling of great loss. In that shadow was the next letter. Brafez could barely make out the shape...H. That was it.
But before he could find out the last, his friend's name came to mind.
Ariad Greyhound.
Ariad Greyhoun
Ariad Greyhou
Ariad Greyho
Ariad Greyh
Ariad G
Aria
Ari
Ar
A-...A...The final letter. He pushed the letters together haphazardly, his mind starting to glow bright orange.
W_E_L_S_H_A
WELSHA
SISTER
He had figured it out, but the addition of the word 'SISTER' was odd, yet somewhat welcome. His mind rumbled, making him fall to the ground before falling through it, into a deep black, endless void. He fell before a hand grabbed his, pulling him back into the mind. It was Ariad. She had a smile on her face, before it turned into a horrified scowl. She slapped him, breaking his grasp and sending him falling back into the void...
"Brafez?"
"Braaafeeeezzz?"
"Brafez!"
"Brafez!" Brafez jumped at the shout, waking up. The dim glow of the overhead lighting made his head hurt and his vision blur. Ariad was standing in front of him, tapping her foot against the metal floor.
"W-what? Is something wrong?" Brafez asked groggily, the sleeplessness having not left his voice.
"No. We've arrived at our destination. Come on, we don't want to be late, do we?" Ariad asked, helping him up. Brafez stumbled a bit, with Ariad sighing and wrapping her arm around his shoulder, helping him walk. "You all right?"
"Wha?- Yeah...just, bad dreams..." Ariad nodded in understanding.
"I hate those. Always so annoying...come on, you can make it." Ariad said, helping him out of the Bullhead. Pandora stood against the door into the reception area of the Schnee Estate.
"Wow...You guys had some fun, eh?" Pandora teased, waggling her eyebrows at the two.
"Need...sleep." Brafez moaned out, a result of sleep deprivation due to only a few hours of sleep plus that one night on their revenge quest.
"All right buddy, we'll get you some sleep. Just try to stand up." Ariad said, shifting herself so Brafez could rest more comfortably against her. Brafez only nodded his head in response, walking with her over to Pandora and into the reception area.
"I still don't see what you do in them, my acquaintance." Lord Schnee stated, watching the three depart. A wizened man in green stood next to him, his white hair complimented by the green scarf he wore around his neck.
"The boy is special, as is the girl. One of them has two Semblances, a somewhat rare trait, and both of them have years of combat training. But...I see something more to the boy. A secret. The girl knows him. Much more than he knows himself." The man said thoughtfully, sipping from his mug of coffee. "You mentioned a stranger?"
"Yes. Tall, at least seven feet. Dressed in a green pea coat and blue jeans. Had a fedora."
"Is that all?"
"Whenever I try to remember the face, the whole picture goes murky. Can't pull out any specifics. Why? Are you going to attempt to recruit him to that school of yours?"
"All three of them, actually. But they're too young. I'll be back once their contracts with you end."
"Very well," Lord Schnee said, looking at the man. "Have a pleasant day, Professor Ozpin."
"Thank you. As do you, Lord Schnee." Ozpin said, walking towards the door before stopping. "I only have one more question to ask of you."
"Fine by me, old friend."
"How is Weiss doing?"
END OF CHAPTER SIX
CLIFFHANGER! MAYBE! MOST LIKELY NOT!
DUN DUN.
Sup readers, the end of this arc is drawing near, and the first chapter in the second arc will focus, surprisingly enough, on our beloved stranger. No, it won't tell us who or what he is, but it will give some backstory. Some, not the big picture. Got to save that for my book.
Anywho, except nothing soon and be pleasantly surprised...on a side-note, I feel that with the recreation of the original chapters, my story is gaining a soul. It's cute really, to see the story you create grow and prosper. But, as a result, I have to redo the next arc because now it doesn't fit the story properly, if I uploaded it, it'd be this whole thing with continuity and stuff...Yeah. Expect that later. Also, Grandfather Schnee is big boss now, instead of his overly manly and awesome son. Aka, Insert German name here Schnee, or the man with many names.
In addition;
Ariad's theme song: Crazy-Gnarls Barkley
Brafez's theme song: The Touch- Stan Bush(Under reconsideration: Is now Lilium from Elfen Lied.)
Pandora's theme song: Feel Good Inc- Gorillaz
In Addition: The Rule of Ergh...Blegh.
In this story, nobody dies until they saw urgh...blegh. Of course, if they are unable to perform the aforementioned action due to a severe injure including but not limited to:
·Decapitation
·Defenestration
·Explosions
·Red mist-ed
·Drowning
·Asphyxiation
·Vaporization
If one of these actions does not occur, the character they are related to is most likely still alive.
*One should note that as I am the author, I have the authority to change this rule anytime I want. Also, the narrator can be a bit annoying as he too has this power.
