Chapter 10: The Paladin That Flies on Black Wings
Ashtul molded steel from the black rocks of Below Realm known as 'Thíosio,' and from it, he forged a mighty claymore from it, which it was named Tenebris, a name meaning "redemption," and fitting so, for every man who became Ashtul's Paladin was one originally destined for damnation until the role of the Bhàisling changed their lives forever. With the power of darkness, the Bhàisling would become a terrifying monster to both evil men and Grimm to fear.
–– "The Tale of the Bhàisling," The Remnant Codex.
March 7th 1584
The Mistral Wilds
One can forget how dangerous the world of Remnant can be when you are walking alone in a forest, the only sounds you hear being the crunching of grass and dirt under your boots, the trees singing as the wind blows through them, and the chirping of birds. All of it creates a sense of tranquility that dulls the senses. Until you hear the low growl of a beast in the bush.
A lone Beowolf hid as a hooded man clad in black walked down the paved path towards the town of Higanbana. The Beowolf has used the crossroads as a perfect location to attack lone wanderers, and while the claymore on the back of this lone wanderer was large, it knew he could not draw it in time if it caught him by surprise. The lone wanderer stopped at a fork in the road, gazed upon the sign pointing towards Higanbana, and headed in its direction. That is when the Beowolf chose to strike, rushing from its spot for the wanderer at high speed.
The Beowolf was already upon him when the wanderer realized what danger he was in, the beast leaping upon him to gnaw at his throat until a veil of black energy formed between the two and exploding, sending the Beowolf skidding across the ground. The beast picked itself back up and the wanderer had his claymore, carved out of black steel, in his hands. The Beowolf let out a roar and charged again, but as it drew close, the claymore glided through the air and cleaved the Beowolf into two, sending both halves to the ground in a shower of black blood before they vanished into nothing. The wanderer flicked the blood off of his blade before sheathing it in the guard holder upon his back, wherein he gathered his sack and continued his journey.
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To say the town of Higanbana was cozy was an understatement. Well known for its hospitality and kind residents, Higanbana served as an excellent location for people to live in or shortly visit to get away from the bustling streets of Mistral. The hooded traveler from the road arrived before nightfall, and his appearance earned the attention of the residents and even some travelers.
His entire body was clad in sturdy black armor that covered most of his body, aside from the space of his joints and upper thighs, with gold lining the edges of each piece. A large golden cardinal was painted across his chest, serving as his emblem. Clanging against his burlap sack of who-knows-what was the large ebony claymore hanging onto his back and at his hips were an ebony mace. The blade bore the same golden cardinal at its base near the crossguard. To say he was unordinary was an understatement itself.
The hooded traveler made his way for the small house that belonged to the chieftess, Pitta, and along the way, he amassed a group that followed after him, curious as to what his intentions were. He knocked upon the wooden door and Pitta, a dark-skinned Ram Faunus with a pair of ram horns protruding from her head, answered. "I've come to take care of your Grimm problem," the traveler simply answered.
"You must be from the Huntsman agency at Mistral," Pitta remarked. "Well, we've had a few travelers disappear, though we've never had any Grimm attack Higanbana before. I suppose the Grimm must not be that dangerous if the agency sent only you." While any attack by Grimm is a dangerous affair, most towns outside of the kingdoms tend to just request for Huntsmen to come help while they set up basic standard protection measures.
"I'm not from the agency, but I did see your report, and I can tell you, this Grimm is more dangerous than you can imagine; likely a class S danger level." Pitta dared not ask how he would know.
"Um, when can I expect you to accomplish the job?" she was nervous, already feeling intimidated by this man, who seemed to emit a dark aura about him.
"I'll go looking for the beast tomorrow morning, when it will be asleep after spending the night hunting prey. If I don't return by sundown, you can expect me to have failed, then you can submit another report warning about its danger level and to send more experienced Huntsmen,." Pitta shivered on the spot, but the traveler broke the tension by asking for the local inn, which Pitta pointed him to.
"Wait, what is your name?" the chieftess called to him before he could walk too far.
The traveler threw down his hood, revealing a face bearing blue eyes and a long scar running down his left cheek from eye to chin. "Name's Cardin Winchester, the Bhàisling."
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Cardin sat in his room alone with a blanket wrapped around himself while he sat staring out the window at the cozy town, now devoid of life. After his arrival, Pitta made an announcement to the town about the Grimm, which was already causing trouble for them for the past few days, and since then, the people have grown fearful of what is to come, some even blaming Cardin for the widespread fear. Cardin himself knew that if this fear continued, that Grimm would only be drawn to the town, something he cannot allow, despite the benefit of it.
"Your Draíochta differs from your fellow Paladins. Yours is darkness itself, much like what the Dark Paladins wield, and with it, you are able to draw more power from the fear and negativity of people, much like the Grimm, though your power will not weaken in the face of positivity," Pecado Moonlight once instructed him.
Cardin let out a long sigh and a grumble before heading for bed.
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"Couldn't we have waited until morning to finish the delivery?" whined an exhausted Ao as she scrapped her feet along besides the horse-drawn cart carrying a wealth of items.
"If we get to Higanbana by morning, then we can spend the entire day relaxing before our next delivery job," argued Bud, who lead the horse by its reins with a powerful flashlight illuminating the path ahead.
"That's fine and all, but can't we at least ride in the cart instead of walking?"
"I'd rather we stay vigilant rather than relax and possibly get distracted."
Ao gave him a narrow glare. "I hate it when you're so dutiful to your job."
Bud let out a chuckle and pressed on. Soon enough, they came upon the fork in the road with the Higanbana sign pointing to the correct direction. "Just a few more miles and we'll be done," he notified Ao, which made her sigh in relief.
Suddenly, the horse let out a terrifying neigh and flew up onto its hind legs. Bud raced to the beast and petted it to calm it down. "Easy, girl! There's nothing to worry about!" he assured his steed, but the horse continued bellowing and acting crazy.
"What has gotten her all rattled up!?" Ao cried.
"I dunno! She just started acting up and––!" Bud answered, but his voice disappeared when he spotted a group of red eyes glowing behind some trees off the path. "Grab the rifles from the cart! NOW!" he warned Ao, who obeyed, handing him a bolt-action rifle. The horse continued acting crazy, but it suddenly became the least of their worries when they found themselves surrounded by rows of glowing red eyes. The horse neighed again and sped off into the darkness, but its neighs soon turned to agonizing screams as a number of red eyes descended upon it, and the screams vanished.
"Fire away!" Bud screamed as he unloaded his gun into the darkness, the flashlight falling to the dirt road. Screeches emitted from the darkness as some creatures recoiled upon being hit. A couple creatures jumped upon Bud from behind, sending him to the ground, his rifle falling from his grasp.
"Bud! BUD!" Ao screamed as she trained her gun to the creatures atop her friend, one of which she managed to shoot off.
"RUN! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Bud demand before a large pointed leg pierced down upon his head, silencing him forever.
Ao grabbed the flashlight off the ground and dashed into a bit of the darkness void of red eyes. She ran as fast as her legs would take her with the tiny light illuminating her path away from the horrifying carnage behind her. She took a quick look behind her and saw nothing following her, where she stopped to catch her breath.
Suddenly, Ao's feet gave out and she slammed into the earth, her rifle and flashlight sprawling across the dirt. Her feet became entangled in a white, sticky substance. She yelled and tore at her captured feet, but it proved futile. The flashlight ceased its rolling, where its ray of light shone in the direction of Ao's attacker, and what she saw made her lips purse open in an ear-piercing scream before she was suddenly dragged into the darkness.
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"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Cardin crossed his arms as he towered over Velvet, though her Guardian Yatsuhashi was taller than them both.
"That it has. It's been, what, a few years now?" the Rabbit Faunus asked him.
"You've grown a bit since I last saw you."
"You've grown a lot though, and in more ways than one." she giggled.
"You really think so?"
"Back at Beacon, you were just a bully who pushed everyone around, and now I see a formidable Paladin ready to defend Remnant." She gave him a comforting smile, one that warmed his heart.
"I may not know you well, Cardin Winchester, but I can tell you have changed since our days at Beacon," Yatsuhashi remarked.
Velvet took Cardin's hand in hers, where she placed a necklace in it of a small rabbit's foot made of a metallic yellow. "It's something I picked up at Menagerie while I was training. I think you should have it, both for good luck and to remember me as your friend. Always remember that you have friends now, here and everywhere."
"Something we learned from the local Faunus on Menagerie," Yatsuhashi added.
"Don't worry, I won't forget. Thank you, Velvet, really."
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Cardin awoke to the sun shining through his windows. He reflexively shielded his eyes and got out of bed, the golden rabbit's foot tapping against his chest on its gold chain. "I might as well clear the area of Grimm while I track down that Tsuchigomu," he yawned with a stretch. He took a minute to stare out the window at the streets of Higanbana now painted in the morning light. "Knowing this Grimm, I'll have plenty of time to hunt down its lair…maybe I should do some hunting around the surrounding area…"
"How powerful is the Bhàisling?" Cardin asked Pecado as he hoisted the mighty Tenebris into his hands.
"It depends. While we don't possess the holy powers the Dànsling has that the Grimm fear, we can channel our dark Draíochta to augment our strength and abilities, of which we have plenty of our own to utilize," Pecado explained. "Our defining power allows us to brutally destroy our foes on the battlefield and tear them apart with our own hands, if need be."
Cardin formed a swirling mass of darkness within his hand. It really isn't that much different from Velvet's or Jaune's, other than its color and the aura it gives off, he thought.
Cardin dressed in his clothes and armor, slung the giant Tenebris into its strap, and headed out with his iron helm in hand. Like the day before, he attracted a crowd of curious townsfolk, one of which was Pitta. "I'll be clearing the area of Grimm during my search for the Tsuchigomu," Cardin told her.
"A Tsuchi–what?" she questioned. Cardin gave her no response and headed out of town, where the crowd stayed behind. He disappeared into the trees without hesitation.
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Cardin allowed his Draíochta to radiate out, and with it being darkness, he quickly became like a bonfire to attract moths, and the Grimm in the area found their attention diverted towards the Paladin.
"Heh…here they come…" Cardin grinned as he lead the Grimm away from the cozy town. "…You guys fucked up thinking I was an ordinary man…" His hand fastened around Tenebris as his cloak trailed behind him.
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The battle ended quickly, with the ground and trees caked in black Grimm blood. Cardin flicked the blood off of his blade and let out a victorious yell. Nearby, a figure cloaked in black that was spying on him since he left Higanbana dashed off, where they hopped upon a black horse and sped off. Cardin sensed the figure's negative energy and recognized it as a Grimm Ranger, but chose to leave it be since it was smart enough to avoid him.
The figure raced its steed through the forest, its hooded cloak trailing behind it. The soon burst out of the trees far away from Cardin's location, where it met up with another figure and another rider, this one garbed in Grimm skeletal armor and a matching hood. "What news do you bring?" hissed the hooded one, who's voice was feminine.
"The Bhàisling has begun his search for the Tsuchigomu. He recently killed a large group of Grimm that was unable to resist the pull of his dark Draíochta," the figure reported.
"We had those Grimm deployed there to attack Higanbana once the Tsuchigomu's young were ready to leave the nest," muttered the other figure, clearly displeased at the event that had transpired.
"It matters not," went the leader. "So long as the Tsuchigomu's young grow large and strong, they shall be enough to level Higanbana to the ground and attack nearby towns before the Huntsmen could properly stage a counterattack."
"And what of the Bhàisling? Surely the Tsuchigomu cannot defeat him on its own."
The leader slipped a toothy grin from under her hood. "The Tsuchigomu has a power that will surely make the Bhàisling hesitate. That is when it will strike and kill him. Once he becomes food for its young, we shall begin the attack on Higanbana…but first, we need to pressure him to locate the Tsuchigomu faster…we shall go to Higanbana tonight while the Bhàisling is still searching for the den."
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Night fell across the sky in Higanbana, but Cardin has not returned yet. Pitta remembered his warning to submit a report to the Huntsmen agency should he not return, but she hesitated, not wanting to jump the gun too quickly. After he mentioned that the Grimm is a Tsuchigomu, she consorted her Grimm Monster Manual and discovered an entry on the creature, discovering what sort of creature he would be dealing with, and the entry terrified her. Does he even stand a chance against something like this, especially at a class S danger level? she wondered.
Elsewhere, those that still wandered the streets returned to their homes, the danger of the Tsuchigomu forcing them to avoid nightfall like a plague. In one particular house, a young girl named Liv was being put to bed early by her mother. "I've told you before. With that dangerous Tsuchigomu Grimm around, no one is allowed out at night," her mother answered. She gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before turning the lamp off and heading downstairs. Liv let out a long yawn before pulling the covers over herself and drifting to sleep.
Liv would later awaken with a startle at the sound of a crashing sound downstairs. She remained still in bed, thinking it was only a dream, but then there was another crash, followed by some scuffing of furniture, then something that sounded like her father crying. That's when she dove out of bed and crawled under it, her body shivering with fear. "PLEASE! NO!" went her mother's voice before it was suddenly silenced. Liv curled into a ball and held her mouth shut, trying to hide her whimpers. Thumping sounds soon approached her bedroom and the door creaked open. From under the blankets' edges, she could see a pair of high-heel boots walk into view before legs crouched down and the blankets were lifted. "Come on out, child, it's okay," said a voice.
Liv was hesitant, but she crawled out, where she was met with a tall young woman clad in armor resembling a Grimm's skeletal pattern and a matching hood, whom was quick to scoop her under her arm with her crying and flailing. The cloaked figure headed down the stairs, and Liv fell silent when she saw her parent's dead bodies in the kitchen with splatters of blood upon the furniture and floor, her face contorted in shock and tears as her capturer was met with the other figures from the forest.
"General Pyrrha, the Bhàisling is bound to return here soon, we can sense his dark presence. What shall we do?" one of them asked the cloaked figure.
"Stay here and ambush the Bhàisling. If you are able to kill him, good, but if he captures you, ensure he knows this child will be fed to the Tsuchigomu." With that, she took off on her horse with Liv screaming for help, cueing several nearby houses to light up, their occupants having heard the noises, but by then, General Pyrrha was far gone.
The figures all drew swords and hid on top of its roof, waiting for the Bhàisling to arrive. Soon, citizens began appearing and found the state of the house, wherein they recoiled in horror. Pitta soon arrived, where she tried to calm everyone down, assuring them that she will speak to Cardin Winchester when she sees him. "Where is he!? Shouldn't he be protecting us from the Grimm!?" cried one person, collectively earning several surrounding agreements.
"I'm right here…" came Cardin's voice. The crowd parted to allow him through, where several noticed that his armor and clothes had black blood stained onto them. "Sorry I was gone so long, I got lost in the forest, plus some Grimm kept bugging me." Pitta and the civilians were unsure what to make of his appearance, but Pitta herself showed Cardin the scene.
"Their wounds look like sword wounds, but who could've done this? Why?" she asked of him, desperate for an answer. Cardin went in and inspected the bodies, where he detected traces of dark Draíochta in the wounds. Figures it'd be Grimm Rangers, but what are they doing here? He let out a sign and whispered a prayer to Ashtul, praying that their souls weighed towards Above. He took a look upstairs, where he found Liv's empty bedroom, then went back down to meet with Pitta. "There's only two bodies, but there's three beds," he notified her. "It seems the Grimm Rangers kidnaped the child for a reason."
"Grimm what?" Pitta questioned.
"Picture a human but with the qualities of a Grimm. Fangs, red eyes, black skin, claws, but these also wear clothes, usually black, and any armor they wear always carries the skeletal pattern normal Grimm have. They do not operate upon instinct––least not the Rangers––and their weapons all carry traces of Draíochta upon them." The mere thought sent shivers through Pitta's body.
That was when the Grimm Rangers upon the roof attacked, scurrying to the edge and leaping down onto Carding with their blades drawn, but Cardin was ready for them, having already sensed their Dark Draíochta when he arrived. Two sharp, black appendages––one of which bore a demonic face of red eyes and rows of jagged, yellow teeth––manifested from Cardin's body and flew into the air, the non-faced one impaling itself through one of the Grimm Rangers, making it screech in agony, while the other whipped about, knocking the other Grimm Ranger off balance, where it landed onto the grass. The townsfolk all shrieked and took cover. The impaled Ranger slowly bled while Cardin's tentacle held it up in the air. He drew his mace and brought it down onto the other Ranger's leg, shattering its bone instantly, forcing a cry from its lips.
"Talk. Where is the child?" Cardin demanded, his mace pointed at the Grimm Ranger's face and his faced appendage hovering by its master's face, giving the Ranger what could only be interpreted as an evil grin. The impaled Ranger finally went still, where its body vanished into nothing, forcing the appendage to disperse. The Grimm Ranger spat at Cardin, so the Paladin drove the mace into its other leg. "You best talk, because I will hurt you as much as possible before you die."
The Grimm Ranger simply smiled. "The child will be offered to the Tsuchigomu once its young is ready to feed. You should know, they prefer their prey alive, and you've got maybe a day before she becomes its food," it chuckled. Nearby, the townsfolk all began conversing amongst themselves, a number of them began to cry for Liv.
"Thank you." Cardin then drove his mace into the Ranger's face where its entire body vanished. He slung his weapon back to his waist and made his way through the crowd with Pitta following behind him, who all instantly parted the way in fear after seeing his strange power.
"Where are you going?!" she cried at him.
"I'm going to go find that girl before the Tsuchigomu and its young feed on her! She's got only a handful of hours before she's dead!" Cardin warned her without looking at her. "You gotta keep people calm, otherwise Grimm will only be attracted to the negativity!" Cardin exited the town's borders and disappeared into the dark of night, leaving Pitta to try to quell her people.
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A Beowolf was cleaved by half by Tenebris as Cardin resumed his search for Liv. "Damn! Dawn is already here!" Cardin hissed under his breath as the rising sun crept over the dense forest. "That girl's got little time left, but where is that damn Tsuchigomu? I've checked just about every cave and dark cluster of forest I could find…" Cardin cut himself off, having felt a dark presence behind him. He gripped Tenebris tight and swung it around, but the figure behind him leapt into the air, somersaulting entirely over him and landing opposite with its sword drawn. The blade was black as night and jagged, and Cardin could see dark Draíochta leeching off the blade in black wisps.
"That's no ordinary blade infused with Draíochta. You're not some lowly Grimm Ranger, that's for sure," Cardin noted.
"I'm surprised you didn't sense me sooner," the figure told him, her fanged teeth curling into a smile. "Tell me, how is Jaune Arc?"
Cardin was puzzled as to why the figure was asking for his friend. "And what concern is he to you?" If I'm quick enough, I can arrange my appendages to strike and lure her into a trap for my blade to strike her down.
The figure chuckled. "I imagine it's because he is in love with me." The figure let down her hood, exposing herself to Cardin, who drew in a gasp, his grip loosening on his mighty blade.
While her skin has turned to an ashen grey, her eyes now a soulless black with green lights replacing her iris', and a Grimm mask covered half of her face, Cardin recognized the body of Pyrrha Nikos before him. "…You're dead…" he finally let out.
"You are correct. Pyrrha Nikos died that night at Beacon Tower, but this body was preserved for me, a Grimm Parasite, to serve as my vessel. The girl that was Pyrrha Nikos is gone," the Grimm Pyrrha explained with a toothy grin.
Cardin reseted his grip on his sword. "If there is nothing of Pyrrha within you, then I shall strike you down right here!"
Grimm Pyrrha let loose a chuckle before raising her sword up. Cardin wasted no time, already charging straight for her with a yell. He swung his claymore around, but Grimm Pyrrha ducked under it and flipped backwards back onto her feet. "Your sword is too large to wield effectively and leaves you defenseless!" Grimm Pyrrha warned him as she thrust her blade forward, but Cardin raised his left arm up, deflecting her blade from his face with his gauntlets.
"That's why I carry this!" Cardin shouted, dropping his sword and drawing his mace. He twisted the blade into his hand and brought his mace down onto the blade, shattering it to pieces. Grimm Pyrrha jumped back and stretched out a hand, where a blade of dark Draíochta formed from it, dark wisps dancing off it. "I see you wield dark Draíochta as well." Cardin had his own Draíochta leech off of his body, where a wriggly tentacle lashed out at his fallen claymore, returning it to his hand.
"Do you really wish to waste your time with me when you should be saving the girl?" Grimm Pyrrha grinned. She allowed her blade to vanish, where she then pointed her hand to the south east. "The Tsuchigomu's lair is that way, stored inside a deep cavern. If you hurry, you should reach the beast in time before its young devours the girl."
Cardin knew she was speaking the truth, but there was something else he was thinking of that made him hesitate in wanting to kill her.
"So, you're saying that Pyrrha somehow merged her soul with yours and she's still alive in that skull of yours?" Cardin asked him after Jaune explained everything he has been through since the Fall of Vale.
"In a nutshell, pretty much. Honestly, I'm just happy that I still have Pyrrha with me, even if she's not really here right now," Jaune said with a smile, but Cardin could detect a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I'll be honest as well. I'm glad to see that she's still alive within you as well; when I saw you at Ruby and Yang's house after the battle at Beacon, I could tell you were torn up after Pyrrha died…well, mostly died, if that makes sense…Also, Pyrrha, if you can hear me, I want to say I'm sorry for all the trouble I've given you and Jaune back at Beacon."
Jaune placed two fingers to his left ear and made a slight nod. "Pyrrha heard you, and she says she accepts your apology, and she expresses her gratitude to know that you're on our side in this war."
The two of them sat silently at the table in the fortress enjoying the fruit Jaune's sister, Bleu, brought them. "Tell me, with all that we have learned of this world's truths, is it even possible to resurrect the dead?" Cardin asked him.
"I have asked Lady Aziela many times ever since I discovered my connection to Pyrrha, but each and every time, she has told me that in our circumstances, it is impossible. To resurrect the dead is to defy the laws and nature of Remnant, so she says. Sheena has already defied these laws when she resurrected Jaakuna Daichi as one of her Dark Paladins, and even so, Pyrrha's body is needed, and resurrection is only possible if the soul has passed on…" Jaune quickly went for his drink, hoping that the ale would take his mind off the revelation that he cannot bring Pyrrha back. Cardin could tell this was bothering him greatly.
"I won't kill you today, but I will have you know that Jaune still wishes to return Pyrrha Nikos to this world, and once he discovers that you are inhabiting her body, it will only ignite the fire within him. After that happens, you won't be able to stop him." Cardin sheathed his weapons and took off for the Tsuchigomu's lair. Grimm Pyrrha watched him go, suddenly feeling excited at the prospect of one day meeting Jaune Arc and seeing the horror on his face when he meets her.
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Cardin headed in the direction Grimm Pyrrha pointed him to, moving quickly to hopefully save the girl in time. He had already done research into the Tuschigomu with help from Pitta, so he knew about its attack patterns and hunting methods, but he knew he could not anticipate its special power: illusions, as according to folklore, Grimm Tsuchigomu are able to shapeshift to trick and lure would-be prey into its domain. Cardin hopes to not make that same mistake.
Cardin soon found a cave entrance and entered within, all while radiating his dark Draíochta outward, ready for danger. He strode in, his hand tight around his claymore. The light from outside soon faded away, leaving Cardin in the darkness, but his Draíochta augmented his eyesight, giving him night vision.
His eyes scanned the darkness, every rock and wall highlighted in his vision, yet there was nothing that posed a danger. Regardless, Cardin kept his hand on his sword, ready for danger, as he descended further within. Soon, the sound of his feet ceased the clomping sound of rock and soil and turned into a crunching sound. Cardin looked down and saw that the floor was encased in a sticky white substance combined with broken bones and sticks: spider silk. It's near.
Cardin drew his sword and gripped it tight. Around him, the entire case was coated with the spider silk, as well as the broken remains of every captured human animal, from rabbits, horses, squirrels, deer, wolves, and even bears. Above, captured corpses hung in cocoons of silk amidst cracks in the ceiling that spilled light within, their bodies drained of blood and organs. Cardin was the only living person in this place, yet he showed no fear.
"HELP!" came a muffled scream from nearby. Cardin raced over to the source, where he found a large cocoon hanging from the ceiling. "HELP!" came the voice again. Cardin tore the silk apart, exposing the young Liv inside in a tangle of webbing. She was frightened and covered in sweat. "Who…who are you?" she whimpered, her eyes making out Cardin's shape in the dark.
"I'm here to take you home, but the Tsuchigomu is still here, so you need to hide here until I kill it," Cardin explained, placing the child back inside, who curled into a ball, but then she gasped, pointing a finger behind Cardin.
Cardin spun around, sword in hand, but he stopped when he saw who was before him. His mother, Willet Winchester.
"Cardin, honey, don't hurt mommy," she spoke in a gentle voice, one he could recall so vividly. She came close to him, her hands outstretched for him, and Cardin was hesitant.
"Mom…" No, she's just an illusion! She's not real! She's not real…She's not… Yet to finally be able to see his mother in person for the first time, Cardin did not want to deny himself this opportunity.
"You've become such a handsome boy, Cardin." Her hands cupped around his cheeks. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie."
No, you wouldn't be, not if you saw how I was growing up. You'd be ashamed of me. "I'm sorry, mom. As much as I wish I could see you more, I cannot let this continue, especially knowing how you're here." With that, Cardin swung the claymore, cleaving Willet into two, but no blood spilled out, and the two pieces of her body vanished into thin air.
"ABOVE YOU!" cried Liv, alerting Cardin, who looked up to see the massive Tsuchigomu hanging above on a thick silk rope. The creature resembled that of a giant spider, its body and fur black with the usual Grimm exoskeleton coating its back and legs, with its abdomen featuring a skull-shaped pattern with glowing yellow eyes. Around him were tiny, baby Tsuchigomu, all surrounding the young Paladin, eager to feast.
Cardin wasted no time in activating his Draíochta, which coated his entire body. The young leapt upon him, wherein the Paladin of Ashtul sprout multiple appendages outwards, skewering many tiny Tsuchigomu at once and making them vanish. Above, the Tsuchigomu screeched at the death of its young, but it refused to come down. More children repeatedly attacked Cardin. He cut down any that tried attacking him. One latched onto his shoulder, where he peeled it off and stomped it dead. One appendage lashed out and pierced one child, where it flung it off with a spurt of black blood. Three demonic appendages appeared, where two grabbed at a child and tore it in half while the third clamped its jaws onto another and threw it away. Cardin drew his mace and bashed several young with it. Dropping his sword, he coated his right arm with Draíochta in the shape of a drill and skewered more young with it, up until only a few remained. Like the others, Cardin killed them as well, until only the Tsuchigomu mother remained, which finally descended down to meet the man who murdered its young.
With his sword in hand, Cardin chopped off one of its legs, making it reel back briefly before it quickly recovered, where it attempted to impale its front legs onto Cardin, who raced forward to strike again. The Tsuchigomu batted him with a leg, sending him onto his back, where it leapt onto him and attempted to snatch him into its jaws, held back by Cardin's own hands. Cardin let out a yell, and with Draíochta-charged hands, he flipped the Tuschigomu onto its back, allowing him to regain his composure. The Grimm righted itself back onto its legs, but too late, as Cardin delivered a powerful uppercut laced with Draíochta, knocking it backwards.
"LORD ASHTUL, GRANT ME POWER!" Cardin shouted at the ceiling, wherein his Draíochta began to envelop his entire body in a mass of black magical energy. Two giant hands the size of the Tsuchigomu itself emerged and grabbed at the beast's legs, tearing the monster in half in a shower of black blood, where it then crumbled into nothing.
The black Draíochta faded away and Cardin returned to normal form. His minor wounds already began to heal away as he gathered his sword and returned to Liv, who sat huddled in the silk sac, having watched what transpired. "Are you a monster?" she whimpered as he lifted her into his arms.
"I know that my powers may make me look like one, but I'm not a monster, trust me. I use this power to fight the real monsters," explained Cardin. "Now, just hold onto me." Cardin escorted the girl out of the cave, meeting no resistance along the way from either Grimm or the Grimm Pyrrha.
"Hey, you want to see something cool?" he asked Liv.
"Like what?" she mumbled.
"Would you like to know what it's like to fly?" Liv's eyes brightened up with curiosity, then she nodded. "Alright, just hold on tight, but don't worry, I won't let you fall, I promise, so enjoy the view." Draíochta formed along Cardin's back, making the Wings of Death shine through with an eerie black light before they suddenly materialized into a large pair of black wings, which stretched themselves out. "Here we go!" With that, Cardin crouched and leapt into the air, where his wings flapped hard to send him and Liv and above the treetops. Liv screamed from the sudden rush, but she calmed down once Cardin slowed down, giving her time to take in the view.
A smile appeared on Liv's face as she soaked in the experience, spreading her arms out to simulate the form of a bird soaring in the sky. "There you go! Let's head back home!" Cardin called to her, to which she nodded with a giggle.
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A blanket of tensity hung over all of Higanbana, with every resident unable to sleep or focus on any task as they all worried for Liv and Cardin. Morning crept over the sky, yet Cardin has not returned. The entire town gathered in front of Pitta's home, where she went out to meet them.
"I understand everyone is worried, and I am as well, but we must wait a while longer for Cardin to return," she told them all.
"You told us he was hunting a Class S Tsuchigomu! What makes you believe a lone man can defeat Grimm like that?!" cried one resident.
"I don't want him to come back here! That…power of his––whatever it was––it terrified my children!" cried another.
"And what about those things that attacked Liv and her family?! That Huntsmen claimed they were Grimm, but they looked human to me! What is going on?!"
On and on the people cried and shouted, voicing their opinions on Cardin's terrifying appearance and powers as well as their lack of confidence that he could end the terror that has sweep over the town.
"LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!" someone called, pointing upwards into the clear sky.
Everyone's attention shifted to the sky, where a black figure with wings illuminated by the sun flew through the sky before it stopped in mid-air and began to rapidly descend towards them. Everyone panicked and ran for cover when the figure's descent began to slow down, allowing for the figure to lightly touch down.
Everyone peeked out from their hiding places and saw Cardin Winchester before them, now with large black wings protruding from his back. He set Liv down, who was smiling from ear to ear, then he turned towards the people, who all recoiled in fear. Some began weaving the Raven and Sun of Oum and the Tree of Iris, believing it would protect them from him.
"You brought her back…" Pitta remarked as she stood before Cardin, herself overcome with the same fear everyone was feeling.
"The job is done, you shouldn't be having any more trouble with the Tsuchigomu now. Do you have the money?" Cardin asked of her while Liv stood near him. Pitta asked him to wait, where she retreated into her home and came back with a wallet sleeve of Lien cards, which Cardin put into his pouch.
"Mister, thank you for saving me, really," said Liv.
Cardin kneeled down to her level. "I did what I had to do, is all. Right now, you've got to stay strong. Don't let this hold you back, got it? You can bounce back from this."
"I hope so…it won't be easy without my mommy and daddy…"
Cardin could feel the sadness wash over the poor girl. With a sigh, he reached around his neck and removed the rabbit's foot necklace, which he placed within Liv's hand. "Here, you'll need this more than I would. It's a good luck charm, which will help you."
Liv gave him a smile and nodded her head. "Can I just ask you one more thing? Are you an angel?"
Cardin returned her smile. "Kinda. I guess you can say I'm a dark angel, but I'm still one of the good guys."
With that, Cardin spread his wings and leapt back into the sky with the people of Higanbana watching him as he became a speck in the sky. Liv clutched the rabbit's foot necklace tightly as new hope for her own future swept over her conscious.
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Deep within the forests of southern Vale, a lonely town was under attack by a band of ruffians, who were holding the townsfolk hostage as they looted their houses of their valuables without opposition of the two Huntsmen who were there, who could not attack while the citizens' lives were being threatened.
"You Huntsmen ain't so tough when we get hostages!" the bandit leader sneered at them as he held a young woman in his grasp with a knife at her throat; she herself was whimpering and sweating like crazy.
"You bastard!" shouted one of the Huntsmen, a woman, who had to held back by her male partner.
"Don't let him provoke you, or he'll kill her!" he warned, forcing her to calm down.
"See? That's better now." One bandit ran up to the leader. "What have you guys dragged up?"
"Plenty of Lien and food they've been storing, sir!" he answered, showing him a large sleeve stuffed with Lien cards.
"Very nice! Have the men gather the spoils up and some hostages, then we'll leave."
"No! You said you wouldn't hurt anyone!" the Huntress retorted.
"And I'm keeping my word, but I don't want you two to try anything after we leave, so we're taking some hostages with us!" the leader laughed.
At that moment, a loud BOOM echoed through the town as everyone turned towards the center square, where a figure had appeared from the sky. Clad in all black and his wings retracted, Cardin Winchester observed them all, mentally counting them.
"The hell did he come from?" called the leader.
"Is he a Huntsman?" said the Huntress.
Cardin spotted the leader and drew his claymore, but he froze when he saw the leader hold the girl up and dug the knife into her skin, drawing blood and making her cry out. "Not another step, Huntsman, or the girl dies! Drop the sword and your other weapons!" Already, the other bandits were abandoning their looting and hostages to tend to this newcomer.
"Just do it, you fool!" called the Huntress.
Cardin complied and dropped Tenebris, his mace, and his pack, spreading his hands out to notify the bandits that he was disarmed. "Smart move, Huntsman!"
"Do you fools really think I need weapons to kill you all?" Cardin hissed coldly, venom on his tongue.
The bandits all collectively laughed. "What can you do?! We've got you surrounded and you're defenseless!" Cardin crouched down, where he drew a knife from his belt. "Like that'll save you!" interjected one bandit. Cardin ignored him and cut it into his left palm, drawing blood. He planted his bloody hand upon the ground and began muttering a prayer in the ancient language.
"Lord Ashtul, grant me strength. Give me the magical prowess of Below so I may send these evil men to you."
Cardin stood up with the knife back in his belt. "You best pray you die quickly, for you soon shall stand before Lord Ashtul, where he will send you to an eternity of damnation."
"Crazy fool…GET HIM!" ordered the leader. One bandit rushed at Cardin with an axe, but before he drew close, a long appendage bearing a clawed hand burst from Cardin's armor and latched itself around the bandit's head and lifted him into the air, freezing everyone else in place as they stared in horror at what was before them.
"You will get no mercy from me…" Cardin warned before the hand appendage crushed the man's head, dropping the body to the ground in a shower of blood.
The others were hesitant, but the bandits all rushed Cardin again. The same appendage snatched up another bandit, where it slammed his body into the ground, leaving a bloody imprint. Two more appendages emerged, these ones impaling themselves onto several bandits before whipping them away. One bandit got too close, where Cardin lifted his hand, now enveloped in dark Draíochta, where it fired into a pinpoint blast, obliterating the bandit's head into a blood stump. Two more hands and two face appendages emerged, where the hands grabbed at a bandit and tore him in half while the faces lunged upon bandits who grew close, where they clamped their fangs into their necks and tossed them away like trash.
One bandit dropped his gun and ran in fright, but Cardin was not willing to let any of them escape with their lives. One hand appendage snaked its way through the carnage and latched itself around the fleeing bandit's leg. "NO! PLEASE!" he shrieked as the hand dragged him back and lifted him into the air before Cardin, who stood unmoved as his appendages continued their slaughter. "PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!" Cardin did not answer, instead allowing a blade appendage to answer by slicing the man in half, dropping the corpse's pieces to the ground in a splatter of blood.
"TO BELOW WITH THIS! LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" screamed one bandit, who ran, prompting others to run in different directions. They all reached the entrance gates of the town, but they stopped in their tracks when a wall of ice suddenly appeared, freezing the gate over and preventing them from escaping.
"You men shall answer for your crimes!" called a voice. Atop a nearby house stood Velvet Scarletina, dressed in an altered outfit of her old Huntress uniform. A pair of Dust daggers rested on her hips and latched to her backside was a large chest, which sides were open, where fragments of ice Dust were flowing from within and dancing around her fingertips. "Drop to your knees and you will be spared!" Over a dozen warriors with weapons, all bearing the Spear and Shield of Aziela, appeared and pointed their guns at the bandits, who instantly surrendered.
Back at the square, the remaining bandits that chose to fight were all killed by Cardin, who set his sights on their leader, who still had a knife at the young woman's throat. Seeing the fear on his face, the young woman quickly stomped on the bandit's foot, forcing him to recoil, where she dashed off inside a nearby house, where she watched things unfold from the window.
Cardin moved towards the leader, who had drawn a pistol and fired it at the Paladin, but each bullet that came near was absorbed into nothing by Cardin's hand, laced in dark Draíochta. When the gun ran empty, he weakly dropped it. Cardin produced multiple bladed tentacles that hovered behind him, their sharp blades pointed at the bandit leader.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" he screamed in horror.
"A Paladin," Cardin simply answered before his blades pierced the bandit, killing him instantly. Nearby, the two Huntsmen were pressed against a wall, fearful of the man before them.
"Cardin!" called Velvet, who came rushing over. He retracted his tentacles and allowed the bandit leader's body to fall. Velvet stopped before him, where she observed the bloodbath and mangled bodies in the square and back at him. "Thanks to you, none of the townspeople were harmed," she notified him.
"Sorry about the mess though," he told her.
"I'd be more surprised if you didn't make a mess of our enemies, to be honest, but with your powers, bloodshed seems to come naturally." She gave him a comforting smile. "Jaune will be happy to see you back."
The Huntsmen and the townsfolk soon came alive, exiting their homes and safe spaces at the sight of the Holy Spear coming around to notify everyone that things were safe, and when they saw Cardin Winchester and recognized him as the man who saved them from the bandits, they slowly and steadily applauded, even after seeing his terrifying powers. A few children even came forward to give their thanks, to which Cardin smiled and patted their heads. "Just doing my job," he would tell them. Cardin would later leave with the Holy Spear after everything was secured and the remaining bandits taken into custody by the Huntsmen, who called in backup to aid them in the arrest.
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When the team returned to the fortress, everyone went off to do their own thing to settle down for the day while Cardin went to go see Jaune to inform him of the Grimm Pyrrha. He met with Jaune, where the two sat in Jaune's private quarters, where Cardin informed him of the arrival of the Grimm Pyrrha. When he had finished, Jaune backwards in his seat, mouth agape, but no sound would come out. Cardin patted his friend's shoulder and took his leave.
"What should I do…Pyrrha…?" Jaune mumbled to himself.
"I don't know…If what Cardin says is correct, then this Grimm version of me is just an empty vessel for a Grimm to inhabit for itself. There's nothing of me left in it other than its appearance." Jaune burrowed his face into his hand.
"So we have no choice…we'll have to kill her…" A couple tears rushed to Jaune's eyes, already feeling the hard pain of having to kill a monster wearing Pyrrha's skin.
Outside, Cardin wandered around the fortress, where he saluted off to passing knights, all of whom have grown and improved since they originally came to the Holy Spear, though they still had a ways to go to become proper knights. As he continued on, he soon ran into Velvet, who decided to accompany him, where they headed outside to the training yard to watch the knights at work. They spotted Ren, Nora, Yatsuhashi, and Pandora training various people with their weapons. Multiple Atlesian training dummies, courtesy of a Schnee Dust Company package Weiss arranged with Jaune, were strewn about the yard as knights whacked, slashed, and shot at them.
"Things have been relatively quiet lately, haven't they?" Velvet stated. "Already four of the five Paladins have emerged and now we have made the Holy Spear our own sort of headquarters."
"You think something big is going to happen soon?" Cardin asked.
"I wish nothing does, but at the same time, I know something will, but with our power combined with Jaune's and Ruby's, I feel like we can handle whatever comes our way, but we're still awaiting for the next Cothrosling to appear to us, evident so as the Maidens still have not returned with him, whoever the Cothrosling may be." Half a year ago, the four Maidens bid farewell to Jaune to find the next Cothrosling, using directions from Sklor himself.
The two fell silent as they watched their comrades continue their training. "It's true, isn't it? That Pyrrha's body is possessed by a Grimm?" Velvet weakly inquired. Cardin nodded. "Even after everything I have seen and know what each of us are capable of, the mere idea that a fate like that exists…" She did not finish, for a cold shiver ran through her body.
Cardin placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be okay, I know it will." He gave her a comforting smile, where Velvet latched herself to him in a hug.
"So, what happened to the rabbit's foot I gave you?"
"Someone else needed it more than I did." Velvet chuckled and hugged him tighter.
"Your magical powers will make you appear like a monster to others, but that does not make you one. Never forget that as you fight monsters, you do not lose yourself and become a monster yourself. That's what separates the Bhàisling from the Dark Paladins." Pecado's advice would always weight heavy on Cardin, even as he hugged Velvet.
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Far to the east in the rural farmlands of Mistral, a young boy named Oscar Pine stirred in his bed one early morning. His eyes slowly opened and he let out a yawn. Oscar dressed himself in his morning clothes, where he headed out to the fields to check on his strawberries, potatoes, and parsnips plants, all of which were in prime condition and healthy, soon ready to be harvested. After watering them, he went on to the chicken coop, where he feed everyone their breakfast and gathered any laid eggs, which he took back to the house for his aunt.
Before his aunt would wake up and start making breakfast for the two of them, Oscar returned to his room in the barn, where he changed into some clean clothes for breakfast (of which he would only change out of again afterwards) and decided to flop into bed for a quick snooze, but his nap time was cut short by the green gem medallion on his dresser, which sat in a pristine and elegant carrying box for it. For a brief moment, Oscar thought he hear the medallion call his voice. "I must still be sleepy…" he mumbled before closing his eyes.
"Oscar…" went the voice again, making the young teen spring up in bed. He stared unblinking at the medallion, which was a rusted bronze that had a hourglass etched into it. "Oscar…" said the voice again, confirming that Oscar himself did not imagine it. He went to his dresser, where he plucked the medallion up and into his hand.
"So weird…" he wondered. He has had the medallion for a few years, having received it sometime during the previous Vytal Festival, before the attack on Vale. He remembered how it came in the mail from a man known only as "Ozpin," someone neither Oscar or his aunt knew. They both almost though the package was falsely delivered had the medallion not have a note addressed to Oscar telling him to keep the medallion safe and secured. He was about to put it back on the dresser when he hesitated, then he chose to put it around his neck, where he then headed to the house for breakfast.
After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, Oscar went to change back into his working clothes, where he set to work plowing the fields and laying compost, but his work was later interrupted by the arrival of four young women each dressed in outlandish clothes. "Can I help you, ladies?" he asked, being courteous.
All four of them smiled together. "It's wonderful to meet you, Oscar Pine, chosen Cothrosling of Sklor and successor to Ozpin," stated Winter, who bowed before him.
"I told you guys he had Ozpin's old medallion!" chirped Spring. Oscar held up the medallion in his hand and stared at it with a puzzled look. "I told you I had an inkling Ozzy would send it to him!
"I must say, this farm is quite the cozy place. I wouldn't mind staying here for a while," noted Summer.
"All of you just stop before you freak the kid out!" snapped Autumn, making her sisters all hush up. She stepped forward to greet Oscar, who's feet felt frozen to the dirt. "I imagine this is difficult to understand, and given the circumstances, I wouldn't blame you, but we are here to change your life forever, Oscar Pine, our dear Cothrosling."
Next Chapter: It's My Turn!