Dead Men's Tales

So much research to be done...

At least, if I want to graduate next spring haha. Which I do.

Why do I bring this up here? Because it fits the context of this chapter of course!

I don't own RWBY, and I'm running out of clever things to say in the disclaimer.

Rest in peace, Monty

Everyone in the room seemed shocked. Dove was the first to recover and ask "A Grimm?"

Grau nodded. "There's no mistaking it. The creature unmistakably bears the qualities of one."

Cardin sat up a little too quickly, before wincing and settling back down. "How could a Grimm have those kinds of powers? I've never seen any of the ones we've fought before do anything like that."

"It's true, most Grimm are merely physically dangerous." Grau pulled out his scroll and tapped the screen a few times. "This actually led to early theories that the Grimm were merely the spirits of animals. However, there are several types of Grimm which disprove this theory." Expanding his scroll, he pulled up the image of a Creep. "While Beowolves, Ursai, and many other Grimm share likeness with certain animals, there are also many which do not." Pulling up another data file, this time with the image of a suit of armor, Grau continued. "There are also several types of Grimm which have more supernatural abilities. Some Grimm have the ability to possess inanimate objects, and there are some which have the ability to suck the aura right out of the body of a trained hunter."

While everyone else seemed unsettled by that last statement, Ruby couldn't help but remember something Weiss told her. She faced one of those possession-type Grimm as part of her training, and it was wearing a suit of armor too. Well, not wearing exactly, but...

Closing the file, Grau scanned through his data. "Unfortunately, we don't know everything about the Grimm. There are new types discovered on missions all the time. But we don't often get complete information on some of the more dangerous types, as the hunters which face them don't always make it back for a full debriefing."

Mr. Berde raised his hand, like he was in class. "Does that mean you don't know which one it is?"

Grau shrugged, and tapped his scroll again with a grunt of satisfaction. "Yes and no. We have a name for this creature, but it is so rare, so elusive, that we don't have complete data on the subject. " He held up his scroll for everyone to see. There was no picture, just a name and a description. "This particular creature is called an Aswang"

Ruby sounded it out. "As-wong?"

Grau nodded. "Yes, the Aswang. Not much is known about this creature, other than its ability to take on the shapes of humans. It is theorized that it is able to access the thoughts of humans, and take on the forms of memories shrouded in negative emotions such as grief, or guilt. Generally speaking, this means it can look like anyone who has died so long as it reads the mind of someone who remembers them. "

Jakob went as white as a sheet. "The ghosts people have been seeing, Mr. Levinson...they were actually a Grimm?"

Grau nodded sadly. "They live long enough to become intelligent, and use their shapeshifting form to confuse victims and lure them in."

Mr. Berde was almost as pale as Jakob. Russel stood up. "But if it can only look like people who've died, wouldn't people get suspicious?"

"It's not that easy." Everyone turned to Ruby who continued. "Have you ever lost someone you really cared about? Have you ever wished that one day, you would wake up, and it would all have just been a nightmare? This...Aswang...it must seem like a dream come true for many of these people." Her eyes watered up, and she turned away.

The room was silent for a moment, until Dove broke that silence. "Is that why it can't seem to form its own sentences? It only repeats the ones from that person's memory, right?"

Grau nodded in approval. "Grimm can get intelligent enough sometimes to understand our speech to some extent. But I have yet to hear of one which could actually talk to us, and this one is no exception."

"You seem knowledgeable on the subject of Grimm." Sky noted.

"That's right. My official position is as a Grimm Studies Specialist for the Atlas military."

Mr. Berde seemed shocked. "I thought you were an Atlas Special Operative?"

Chuckling, Grau nodded. "I am. Special Operatives are separated into several categories, mostly combat oriented but also some reconnaissance roles. I fall into the latter category, with a focus on Grimm behaviors."

Standing up, Grau paced around the room. "Not much is known about Aswang. They're very patient, and like many other ancient Grimm do not usually attack humans much. But there has been history of them appearing from time to time, and taking people from outlying villages."

Ruby seemed troubled. "How come there's one on Patch? The Grimm on this island are pretty weak for the most part. How could this one live here and remain unnoticed?"

A few taps of his scroll later, and Grau held up his scroll again, with a picture of the Grimm Dragon frozen on the CCT tower. "Likely, it was in hibernation. Much like the Grimm Dragon was, before the Battle of Beacon. And like the Dragon, it was probably awakened by the surge of negativity from that battle."

"Wait what?" Jakob exclaimed. "What battle?"

"How could you not have heard of it?" Russel snapped.

"Calm down." Grau glared at Russel. "Although it does seem odd that you haven't heard something about it."

Mr. Berde coughed uncomfortably. "The Punainen family didn't really keep up with the events of the Vital Festival. We did tell his parents what we saw before the tower went down, but I guess it looks like they didn't tell him."

Jakob looked shocked. "What happened?"

Ruby 's response was short and pained. "The Grimm attacked Vale. The CCT was destroyed, and they still haven't taken Beacon back."

What? Vale was attacked? Beacon was overrun? The CCT was destroyed?

This was a lot to take in for Jakob. And to think that just a few weeks ago I was annoyed that I wasn't able to browse the web on my scroll...but people probably died trying to defend that tower!

A sudden realization hit Jakob. Pyrrha Nikos...that other girl Penny. On the day the CCT went down, Jakob remembered that they had been scheduled to fight. His parents may not have liked to watch the Vital Festival, but he liked to check out the results and highlights after the fights. Of course he never saw those results that day, because by the time he was done studying with his parents the CCT had been destroyed.

But that means...if that thing is able to copy them...that they're...

Grau cleared his throat. "In any case, we lack information on the Aswang. And information is something we need. Somehow, this creature seems able to heal from almost any wound." Turning to Ruby, he continued "Yet one of your strikes was able to hurt it. So it can't be invincible, there must be some weakness."

Mr. Berde's face seemed thoughtful. Grau noticed this, and turned. "Something on your mind?"

"Not really, it's just...something sounds familiar about this thing."

Those words were enough to snap Jakob out of his daze. Now that I think about it...it really does sounds familiar!

The image of his parents sprung to mind. They were studying at home, like usual. At the time, they had been studying history. Part of that was studying ancient lore...

"That's it!" Everyone turned to Jakob, and he shied away from the attention. "Umm..."

"What's it?" Sky asked.

"Well...this Grimm. I just realized why it seems so familiar, both to me and Mr. Berde."

"Mr. Berde and I." Grau corrected absently.

"Right, sorry. I was studying history a few weeks ago, and part of that was history of the island. Back when people first came here, there were all sorts of stories and folktales about this place." Jakob stood up and paced around, sounding more and more excited by the moment. "And there were a bunch of those stories which revolved around a creature which could take on the form of dead people."

Mr. Berde smacked his fist into his palm. "Of course, that's it!"

Dove seemed skeptical. "But how does this help us? They're just stories."

"Don't be so quick to throw out this idea." Grau's gaze was intense as he looked at Jakob. "Every folk tale has elements of truth to them. And we have nothing else in terms of information sources."

"So there we go." Cardin sat up slowly this time. "We read a bunch of stories, and try to find this thing's weakness. Is that right?"

Grau nodded. "I would think so." He motioned to Ruby, Dove, Sky, and Russel. "Except for you four. You're all going to eat a nice meal and go to bed. We'll need you to be rested for tomorrow night."

"I'm going to fight too." Mr. Berde's tone made it clear he would not be moved on this subject. "I'm well enough that it won't be a problem."

Grau merely sighed. "Just be careful. You're not fully healed yet." He turned to Jakob. "Jakob, was it? Would you be willing to help me research this creature?"

"Yes." Jakob didn't even have to think about it. This was his chance to help out, to pull his own weight. "Of course."

Cardin raised his arm to get Grau's attention. "I'll help too." He motioned to his leg and added bitterly "Not like I can do much else."

Grau nodded in approval. "Excellent. With any luck, we'll be able to figure out a weakness, or any other important information we can use. For now, let's get some food so our fighters can get some rest."

Cardin sat there, picking at the food the doctor had brought him. It wasn't as if the food wasn't appetizing. It was actually quite good, at least, compared to hospital food. The doctor was a good cook it would seem.

No, it was just that Cardin couldn't get the events of the evening out of his head. Once again, he had lain helplessly before the enemy. Granted, this time it had been at the hands of a far more formidable Grimm than that Ursa Major. But it stung nonetheless that he had been beaten and helpless once more.

And not just beaten...I failed to protect that villager. Cardin knew that there wasn't anything he could have done. The villagers had placed themselves in harm's way, and they had done their best to protect them. This...Aswang...was incredibly tricky, and with what he had known at the time, Cardin knew it would have been impossible to predict it would have appeared at that moment.

It's easy enough to say that. I took a job to protect these people, and one of them died not even a few yards away from me.

Angrily, Cardin began digging into his food at last. The least I can do is help figure out how to beat this thing. Yet even this thought wasn't able to chase away the guilt.

Ruby sat at a picnic table by herself, eating a bowl of stew from the village tavern. It wasn't bad, but she preferred her father's cooking. Even if he occasionally burned things, the food he made was actually pretty good.

As Ruby ate, her mind shifted to other things. Penny...Pyrrha... It hadn't been easy to see them again. Especially to see them attacking the innocent and trying to destroy the village. When it first took the form of Torchwick, Ruby had been shocked, but it was a completely different story when it looked like her friends.

The food was becoming hard to swallow, so Ruby stopped eating it. Once again, she was shaking. Why? Why do I feel so weak right now? Why can't I just kill Grimm, and come back like nothing's wrong like I used to? Wrapping her arms around her knees, Ruby sat there and waited for her latest attack to pass.

"Not eating with your classmates, Ruby?" Ruby looked up to see Grau standing there. He had a strange expression on his face, and soon Ruby realized it was gentle concern. Looks odd on him, I'm used to him looking all serious...kinda like Professor Goodwitch.

"Well, we don't usually get along very well." Ruby laughed nervously. The feeling from before hadn't faded by much, but now Ruby felt like she needed to hide it. I need to show that I can do this.

Grau chuckled as well. "I gathered that much from how you first greeted each other. I am impressed, however, that you have all been able to put that aside to complete the job. For the most part, anyhow."

"We have to. The job is about saving the village, and that's more important than anything else."

That statement earned a nod of approval. "That mindset will carry you far as a huntress." Grau sat on the other end of the table. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Ruby shook her head. "Sure, go ahead."

Hesitating, Grau sighed. "I apologize if this brings up bad memories, but did you know those two personally? Pyrrha and Penny, I mean."

"Yeah...they were my friends." Ruby took a sudden interest in her half-eaten bowl of stew.

"I am sorry that you have to see them this way." Grau sighed.

Ruby was silent. Grau continued "It's normal to feel the way you do, you know."

"What?" Ruby was a little surprised. "The way I...how did you..?"

"The signs were there. I've had my fair share of nightmares and terror from the work I've done over the years as well." Grau's gaze was fixed on the sky. "But the attack on Vale and Beacon was one of the worst in years, perhaps even on the scale of Mountain Glen. And you experienced that very early in your career as a huntress."

"I just..." Ruby stumbled on her words, as they came out unbidden "I feel so...weak. I wasn't able to save them. The whole reason I wanted to become a huntress was to help people, yet I wasn't even able to keep my friends safe." Tears streamed down her face. "An-and they weren't the only ones who died. So many others were killed as well. I wanted to save people, but I could only watch them die!" Ruby broke down fully at this point. "H-how can I face my-my mom like this?"

Grau seemed unsure as to what to say to that, but someone else beat him to the punch.

"We all failed."

Ruby looked up, to see Russel, Dove, and Sky. Dove had been the one to speak up, but the other two seemed to be in agreement. He continued "All of us were supposed to protect the people. And we all tried as best as we could."

Russel nodded "The Atlas forces gave everyone the option to leave at the start, but no one from Beacon did."

Lastly, Sky jumped in "And from what we were told at the end, no one did more than you, Ruby. You took down that ship, right? If you hadn't done that, so many more would have died because of the Atlesian Knights and Paladins."

Ruby had stopped crying, but still felt down. "It doesn't feel like enough. Maybe it will never feel like I've done enough."

Grau smiled. "That, Ruby, is the mark of an extraordinary leader. Never settling for anything more than your very best." Turning to RDL of CRDL, he continued "Cardin too, shows promise. Even now, with his leg being broken, instead of dwelling on it, he has chosen to assist us in finding the right answer."

That last statement lit a fire inside Ruby. "In that case, I guess it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself, isn't it?" Turning to her food, she made quick work of the last few bites. "We have a job to do, and right now that means getting rested for tomorrow night."

Russel smirked. "Hell yeah." The three members of CRDL pumped their fists in the air, and Ruby, with a small smile, did the same. I-no, we won't let this creature hurt anyone else.

Grau smiled. It seemed as if Ruby had put aside her fears for now. Perhaps it wouldn't solve the problem in the long term, but right now they didn't have any time to lose. Besides, it wasn't like he could solve this problem for her. Every hunter had to find their own way of moving on.

Speaking of which, he had work to do. Rising from the table, Grau walked towards the library, where Jakob and Cardin (on crutches, despite the doctor's protests) were waiting. As he walked over, his thoughts wandered.

Cardin was aggressive, stubborn, and prejudiced. Yet even now, he was showing signs of working on his weaknesses. Only then, would his true strength shine through. And his team would follow, as they looked up to Cardin and would emulate him.

Jakob was young, and did not fully understand the world just yet. But he showed signs of great intelligence, and a desire to help others. He would make a great huntsman, or perhaps a great researcher if he so desired.

And of course, Ruby. She had all of her beliefs shaken recently by the Battle of Beacon. Yet she still forged ahead, trying her best to stay true to herself. In terms of potential, Ruby shone above them all, and she was two years younger than the rest of CRDL.

It is encouraging to see that the new generation will have such potential.

Grau opened the door to the library, before thinking to himself grimly.

If things continue the way they have been, then they will need every ounce of that potential to survive.

And so, we shall delve into the lore of Patch next week! I've always felt that a good filler arc (yes, I consider Dead Men's Tales to be a filler arc of sorts, to keep myself and the readers entertained between now and Volume 4) expands the lore of a world while staying true to the source material. Of course, chances are that even what little I conjure up will be contradicted in the show at some point :P but it's fanfiction, that's bound to happen

Now you know the name of this menace that has plagued the village of Alaala for so long! And yes, I had Ruby sound out the name just so you'd all know how to pronounce it. Aswang is pronounced "As-wong"

And the name keeps with traditional Grimm naming conventions (mythological creatures). Bonus points for anyone who knows where it came from (without Googling it haha, although if you don't know feel free to google it. Or Bing, or Yahoo, whatever you use). Even more bonus points if you can tell me what "Alaala" means.

As always, if you enjoyed, Follow, fav, and review!

PS.

I almost forgot! There were a few reviews I wasn't able to respond to, because PM was disabled or they were a guest. I'll respond to them here.

Guest: You aren't the first one to wonder about this. But that was a part of Ruby's dream. The Aswang doesn't have anything to do with those. There was a dream with Penny in it as well. Perhaps I need to try and make that clearer in the future, as you aren't the first to be confused by that. It might be on me.

KillingerBlue: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Haha, the title is just a reference to that old saying. It's also a reference to the true nature of the monster in the story, as it can't tell any "tales", that is, it can't really talk. Worry not, the wait is over! And I like to think 2 weeks isn't so bad, some fics take forever to update haha. Look forward to next time!