"This is truly the end of the world, nothing will survive the inevitable storm of blood. The earth will shatter by the needless violence of the greedy. They are our downfall. They are our demise. The rose that is our heart is all that stands in their path."
Keeper of the Heart, deceased 12 years prior to present.
The night was cold. A freezing mist drifted on the breeze, illuminated by the yellow glow of streetlamps. The cobbled streets were deserted except for the passing stray cat that dare venture into the night. Nothing broke the spell of silence that lay in the city. Only the crackling of fires consuming the rubble of once proud homes echoed down the streets. Pillars of smoke scarred the sky and blocked out the stars. The shattered moon shone down on the scene, its silver light casting ghostly shadows through the mist.
A sign creaked in the light breeze. Its glossy dark green lettering gleamed in the moonlight.
"Green's Inn"
The windows were dark and the curtains were drawn. Water dripped off the eaves from the mist. The sound of a door opening echoed off the buildings across the square. A figure wrapped in layers of clothing stepped out the door, closing it silently behind them. Long silver hair cascaded down their shoulders as they wrapped a woolen scarf around their neck. A pointed pair of bronze ears twitched against the cold. She sighed and pulled out a gnarled wooden cane. The innkeeper limped down the street, disappearing into the mist.
Blood ran down the drain of a bathtub. Its gleaming white finish was scarred, stained red from rivers of blood. Shards of glass littered the bottom of the tub. A discarded leather duster lay in a heap on the floor. Dark red stains lined the holes punched in the leather. Jagged edges of the ripped leather dripped red onto the tiled floor. The sink was coated with a layer of crimson from an abandoned washcloth, dark red from blood.
Through the door in the bedroom, there was silence. A plush armchair sat by the window. Ren lay slumped in its cushions with Nora sleeping at his feet. Fluffy white towels were wrapped tightly around his chest, acting as makeshift bandages. His face was scrubbed clean from dried blood and his nose was crooked from being broken.
Ren's jacket hung limply over the foot of the bed, dripping blood onto the carpet below. Ruby was curled up tightly in blankets next to her sister. A mane of blonde hair fanned out across the bed, obscuring the stained white sheets beneath her. Yang's back oozed slowly through the towels covering the wounds.
Their weapons lay discarded around the room, propped against the walls and furniture. A large portrait of the shattered moon hung above the bed, keeping watch.
Boot steps echoed down the street outside. A column of figures marched down the street, parting the mist in swirls of motion. Their masks gleamed in the moonlight as they trudged through the deserted streets up to the inn. They fell into a single file line facing the inn. Two figures came to a stop behind the line, one clothed in a long black cloak, the other wrapped in a woolen scarf and leaning on a cane.
"Is this it?" The hooded man asked gruffly.
The woman nodded and pointed to the window above and left of the door,
"That room, there."
He nodded and crossed his arms as he turned to face the inn. The faint sound of an explosion echoed in the distance. The innkeeper jolted and turned to the sound.
"That was probably…" He pulled back his sleeve, revealing a watch. "…the library. Right on schedule." The man nodded under his hood and yanked the Faunus to face him.
She struggled and protested his grip on her arm.
"Stop squirming, grandma." He pointed to the window. "You say they are in there? Four of them?"
She pulled herself out of his grasp and brushed herself off. "Yes. Now if you had been using your ears and not being an idiot, you wouldn't be cowering out here. Two of them were pretty bloody." She pulled her scarf tighter, "I would be surprised if they make it through the night to tell you the truth." She squinted up at the window. "If I didn't know better I would say they attend Beacon. They are the right age, and they had weapons."
The man grunted and turned to face the inn again. Clasping his hands behind his back, he responded. "Students or not, they still broke curfew. From the descriptions you provided I think it reasonable to say they are students. Even if not, you can never be too careful with their sort. So, I won't risk giving them the benefit of the doubt." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a red dust crystal, flipping it over in his hand lazily.
"You would be surprised what those little bastards are capable of. Them and their damn headmaster weren't an easy bunch to take down." He shrugged, "Doesn't matter now. All we have to do is watch out for the stragglers and take them out when they show themselves."
The woman cleared her throat. "I think you still owe me. Before I let you in, I want my pay."
The man scoffed. "I don't mean to be rude, but we won't be going in." He tossed a small card at her feet, "Your money. I think we'll burn the place to the ground and kill anything that survives." He tilted his head upward to the window, "One can never be too careful."
The woman stiffened, eyes narrowing in anger. "I thought we had an agreement, you get who you want. I get paid. You said nothing about burning the place down."
He sighed in irritation. "Plans change." His voice lowered, taking a menacing tone. "Now leave before they change again, and they will not be in your favor."
"You have no right to do this! I protest what you thugs are doing." She turned red from anger and gripped her cane tightly in her hands, "I demand you leave at once!"
He turned to face her, letting his hands fall to his sides.
"What are you going to do? Fight me off with that cane?" He reached into the folds of his cloak, "I think not. Now, I have a very important meeting soon and I simply can't be late. So forgive me if I have to make this quick."
"You will hang for this! I will make you pa—" Her voice cut off as she fell backward to the cobbled street. Blood pooled onto the street as the woman choked to death.
"Such a shame. You probably were able to make beautiful doilies." He shrugged as he put a smoking pistol back into his cloak. Turning away from the corpse of the innkeeper and the bloody rags of her neck, he rubbed his hands together and took a step forward.
He tapped one of the men on the shoulder, motioning behind him at the corpse, "You, chuck that in there." The goon nodded and went to his task.
"Now we can have some fun. Burn it, and shoot anything that comes out." He turned away from the inn and started walking down the street. "Make sure you can see the smoke from the capitol. You don't want to disappoint your boss, now do you?"
The men saluted and turned towards the building, brandishing red dust crystals. Their masks gleamed in the moonlight and illuminated the blood red wolf insignia on their backs.
She was there, silhouetted against the twilight sky. The branches of the long dead oak that once stood tall and proud reached its spiny fingers into the sky. Her hair flowed in the cool breeze, ruffling the bow atop her head. The branches swayed under her feet, her legs flexed to keep their balance. The muscles in her arms flexed as she unsheathed her blade slowly. Amber eyes turned to lock onto their prey below, a nefarious smirk worked its way across her face, betraying the glee at the task at hand.
Boots crunched though dead leaves covering the ground below. She took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, letting it out slowly. Her arms spread wide to embrace the beauty of the forest. Yang smiled at the darkening sky, savoring every minute of her escape.
Nothing stirred. All was peaceful, and nothing marred the splendor of the forest.
Yang stopped suddenly, a shiver going down her spine. Her eyes narrowed, sensing danger closing in. She let her arms fall to her sides, activating Ember Celica. Leaves tumbled across the ground in front of her, revealing pitch black elliptical rocks. She leaned down to get a closer look. The rocks opened, their pupils locking onto Yang. Blood red irises stared into her soul, rooting her to the spot. Yang flinched away in horror. She looked around herself frantically, her breath catching in her throat.
"What is this!" Her voice echoed flatly in her ears.
The trees loomed over her, their bony black branches blocking out the sky. The moon nestled in the branches, turning red and dripping blood. The rocks stared her down, filling her with dread. The air went cold, sending daggers through her exposed skin. Frost slithered down her body, freezing her hair stiff. Her breath fogged the air around her.
Yang brought her arms up, gauntlets ready. She shivered as she tried to steady her breathing.
Leaves crunched behind her. She twisted around quickly, and screamed in terror.
Blake towered over her, gleaming teeth stretching from her to ear. Amber eyes blazed down on Yang like searchlights. The skin of her face was stretched over her skull, held in place with glinting silver staples. Black hair shot out of the white bone of her skull, filling the air around her. Blood flowed down her gaunt body, cascading around her like a dress. The blood flowed around her endlessly, moving with her as she drew breath. It formed around her, swirling around in frills of a graceful, strapless dress that draped to the ground around her.
She clenched a cleaver in her skeletal right hand. The bones of her hand shone though the darkness around them.
Yang's heart stopped cold. Her screams wedged in her throat as she struggled for breath in the oppressive air.
Blake raised her cleaver slowly, bringing it above her head. The cold black metal sucked the light towards it. Yang followed its ascent with her eyes, unable to move an inch. Blake's smile widened, flashing a gaping maw behind the teeth.
The cleaver fell, decapitating Yang in an instant. It carelessly sliced through her neck, sending her head rolling across the rocks. Her face was frozen in shock and terror as she watched Blake descend on her teetering body, ripping the flesh into bloody ribbons.
Yang watched helplessly as she was devoured. Amber eyes stared into her as blood splattered the rocks. Her mind recoiled, the beast that had taken Blake was slipping, showing the real Blake in the cracks forming. Blake cried out for help, redemption, forgiveness; pouring her being into Yang though one glance. The beast surged over Blake, drowning her in blackness.
The beast sneered at her and ripped through her torso, shattering her bones to dust.
Yang's eyes closed, letting the darkness wash over her.
Yang flew out of bed screaming. She collapsed on the floor, curling into a ball and shielding her head with her arms.
Ruby jolted awake, grabbing for Crescent Rose leaning on the bed stand beside her. Her thoughts cleared and she saw Yang cowering on the floor. Ruby rolled out of bed and embraced her sobbing sister. She stroked her hair gently, comforting her.
"It was just a nightmare. You're fine and I'm here for you."
Yang sniffled, wiping her nose on her arm. She threw her arms around Ruby and buried her face in her shirt. Ruby rubbed her back gently, ignoring the bloodstained towels.
Ren padded over to them, leaning on the foot of the bed. Nora sat up on the floor, wiping sleep out of her eyes.
"Is she okay?" Ren asked quietly, worried for Yang.
Ruby looked up at him and nodded slowly,
"Just a nightmare. She'll be fine." She dropped her gaze back to Yang and added under her breath "I hope."
Ren sighed and sat down on the foot of the bed holding his chest gingerly. He groaned softly and closed his eyes,
"I feel that by the end of this none of us will be immune to their throws." He exhaled sharply, "The question is if you're strong enough to pull through, and face the fears presented in them." He gazed down at Yang's quivering form. "Those fears are out there, and it is not a question of if you will face them, but when."
His fingers dug into the ornate wooden footboard. "When that time comes, nobody can face it for you. Only you can find the strength to stand up to it. Perhaps even conquer it." He smiled sadly at the floor. "For most, the fear is too great, ant it consumes them. Devours them from the inside, leaving only a husk of the former person. This fear spawns paranoia, which leads to anger. Anger to hatred, hatred to agony."
Ruby looked up at him, blankly registering what he said. Ren turned to her and looked her in the eyes,
"This is what drives men to gain more power. Their greed for more only intensifies as their power grows. In turn, they exploit those weaker than them. Take advantage of their ignorance, and force them to ruin." He dropped his eyes to Yang.
"Of course they make excuses. It is always for the greater good, or to benefit some starving family in the favelas. When really they are only helping themselves. We are blind to them most of the time, but as to what has happened..." He gestured around with his arms. "They planned this. They made it happen and wanted it to happen."
"When they gain control over this city, what is next? The country? Continent? World? They will spread like a plague across this world and destroy everything we have built for ourselves. They will discard anything or anyone once they have outlived their usefulness. As long as they profit in the end, they are happy."
He arched his back and stretched out his arms,
"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if major companies were in on it. Big faceless companies will rob you blind without a second thought. Now if they can take everything from you, and then charge you to rebuild it all." He brought his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "They would be putting the shackles of slavery on the entirety of our civilization. They would have total control over everything."
Ren scoffed. "I'm probably over thinking it. All we've seen so far is the White Fang. Who knows, maybe they finally gathered enough force to take over the government." He frowned. "Doesn't seem like their style though. Much too… daring."
Ren crossed his arms, and fell silent. Ruby took a deep breath and gently pushed Yang back, giving her some room. Yang's arms still wrapped around Ruby, but she looked up at her silver eyes,
"Thanks." She laughed softly. "And I'm supposed to be the older sister. Look at me, pathetic."
Ruby smiled at her. "We all have our off days. I'm just glad I've got you for an older sister."
Yang smiled back and sat up, wiping the last tears from her eyes. She looked over at Ren and grimaced. "Guess I woke everybody up, didn't I? Sorry about that."
A beam of light fell across the room from the window. Nora was peeking through the curtains, parting them enough to let in light from the street lights outside.
"Nora! Get away from there, what if somebody sees you?" Ren scolded as he stood and walked over to her.
A gunshot pierced the night air. Ruby and Yang jumped to their feet and ran to the window, peering through the crack beside Ren and Nora. Ruby gawked and Yang blanched.
"Is that…" Nora whispered, staring at the pooling blood around the innkeeper in the street below.
"She sold us out! That bitch!" Yang growled.
"That is the least of our worries right now." Ruby cut in. She watched as the men pulled crystals out of their pouches, "Is that red dust?"
"It would appear so, yes." Ren responded.
"What are they going to do with that?" Nora asked, pulling away from the window to look at her friends. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow quizzically.
"We've gone over this, Nora." Ren sighed, turning away from the window to Nora, "Red is fire."
"What could they be doing with that?"
"Burn stuff, Nora." Yang interrupted.
Ruby turned to her sister, eyes wide.
"You don't think that…"
Yang froze, eyes as big as saucers.
"Oh shit."
The men threw the crystals at the inn, sending fireballs towering into the dark sky.
(A/N) Thank you for reading. Any comments/questions/concerns are welcome.
Beta Reader: Melanie Malachite
Note: I apologize for the tardiness of this update. I kept getting errors when trying to access the webpages associated with updating.
Next time: Coincidences happen, sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst. Allies can be found in the most unexpected places.