AN:
Well, this took FOREVER.
Finally, after weeks and weeks of delay after delay...
I managed to deliver it. Chapter 9.
Also I wrote some oneshots relating to the FE:A universe. So you should go check that out. 'Shameless Self-Advertising'
For now I decided to take it slow, so that's the reason why this chapter's kinda short.
For those that don't understand what's going on, read the previous chapter; it explains alot.
So what's going to happen now?
1. RWBY:BH will now be uploaded at most 2 times a month. Because ever-growing pile of work. 'le sigh'
2. New FE:A project being developed; this one will be uploaded sometime late July - early August.
3. Got two ideas for RWBY oneshots; will be done PSA style.
4. Still trying to come up with ideas for oneshots.
5: Still trying to ladder on Hearthstone to Legend.
TL:DR Chapter 9 finally up, now I can finally run off into the sunset.
'Cackles manically'
'Jumps on airspeeder and rides off into the horizon'
Chapter 9: The Ruins of Áki
Landing smoothly on the town's solitary landing area, the Academy Dustship finally finished its 4 hour journey, to the appreciation of a particular passenger.
"Are you doing okay?" Alexis asked gently from outside one of the ship's few bathrooms. "Strom is going to go look the town with Vachi, and he asked me to wait for you."
A small pitiful whine emitted from the stall, before the sound of retching filled the air once more.
"I guess not," Alexis muttered, wincing slightly.
Still a little green in the face, Laci stumbled out of the bathroom, clutching her stomach with one hand and leaning on the wall for support.
"Never again," she groaned out, dragging her feet in a lethargic manner towards the ramp.
Alexis didn't say anything, not mentioning the fact that they had to board the ship again back to Beacon for his own safety.
The air was filled with the hiss of rapidly cooling metal and grinding of whetstones as the duo walked down the cobblestone street. The hollers of shopkeepers filled their ears as well, arms waving and beckoning the new arrivals to check out their ware.
Alexis took in the sights, marveling at the ancient art of forging weapons from raw metal and dust, a time-consuming but more personal way than the present-day mass manufacturing of weapons.
He would have stayed behind to behold the glory of the old crafts, were it not for the mission, and the constant reminders from his partner to hurry up.
"This is starting to give me déjà vu," Alexis groaned to himself.
Having walked around the cobblestone streets for an hour, the duo had come to the conclusion that they were lost. Again.
"Where the hell are they?" Laci exasperatedly yelled after walking around for half an hour.
Alexis considered heading back to the Dustship and contact Strom from there, when he heard shouting in the distance.
"What's was that?" Laci asked, turning her head towards the source of the noise.
Before Alexis could protest, Laci grabbed his arm and started dragging him towards the direction where the sound came from.
"Desecrators! Blasphemers!"
Still towing Alexis behind her, Laci managed to find her brother within the center of a large crowd, having what seemed as an argument with a very important looking elderly man, who barely reached Strom's chest.
"Look, we're not treasure hunters," Strom reasoned, Vachi hovering near his elbow. "All we want to do is – "
"It doesn't matter what you're doing!" the old man screamed, spittle flying everywhere. "Entering the ruins is sacrilege! Violating the ancient shrine of the Time Goddess is nothing short of unforgivable desecration!"
"Gah!" Strom shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "For the umpteenth time, we're going to map it out! We're not going to touch anything!"
Before the old man could continue on his tirade, Laci grabbed Strom with her free hand. She then turned to look down at the elder, giving him the deadliest of stares.
"Where's the ruins, old man?" she questioned coldly.
The elder visibly withered under her stare, rapidly losing his spirit to talk back.
"Urk…"
Without any further prompt the old man pointed towards the nearby hills.
"Thank you," Laci huffed, turning towards the hills and began walking towards them, still dragging the two male members of her team as Vachi tiptoed nimbly behind her.
"Defilers! Intruders!" the old man screamed behind them.
The interior of the ruins seemed to exude an atmosphere of melancholy and despair. What was once a pristine shrine for an ancient idol has now fallen to disrepair and time. Moss climbed and twirled around the decrepit walls and pillars, while dirty grey concrete rubble littered the floor, having fallen from the once towering roof. Tinted windows once polished to perfection now stood uncared for, grim and dust covering their surfaces. Majestic paintings and murals now laid faded, washed away by the torrents of rain.
"Ironic that this used to be a sanctum to a goddess of time," Strom noted to himself, before turning around to his fellow hunters. "Might as well spread out; we need to make up for lost time. Make sure you sync your scrolls so that we can keep tabs on each other."
"Fine." "Gotcha." "Okay."
Syncing their scrolls up at the same time, the four parted ways, each taking a different direction in the vast intramural of the Áki ruins.
Deep within the lower levels of the ruins, the individual pattering of feet from above echoed within the vast recesses of the catacombs.
Bouncing off the curved intricate walls, the noise amplified with each echo, trying to find escape in an area where light hasn't reached in centuries.
A new sound soon joined with the echoes, a multitude of scampering of tiny feet that seemed to come from every direction, even above and below.
There was something beneath the surface.
'Comes back'
But wait, there's more!
Consider this somewhat of an apology for keeping you guys waiting.
'Rides back into the sunset whilst cackling uncontrollably and sipping a 7-11 Slurpee'
Bonus: Yang's Rather Innocent (?) Request
Hesitating slightly, Strom steeled himself for the inevitable.
Oh gods, this isn't going to end well for me, he thought solemnly to himself.
Taking a final breath, the blue-haired faunus braced himself…
And knocked on the door that led to Team RWBY's room.
Stomach tied in knots, Strom could feel the stress building on him as agonizing seconds passed.
Finally, the door opened slightly, just enough to reveal the curiosity-oozing silver eyes of Ruby Rose.
"Oh hi, Strom," she chirped. "Whatcha doing here?"
Before he could reply, the door slammed shut in front of him, only for it to be reopened fully moments later, but instead of Ruby peering curiously at him; it was now Yang leaning on the doorframe.
"Sup, Blue Boy. See you got my message," she smirked.
"Erm…" Strom muttered, unsure of what to say as he tried to ignore Ruby's attempts to escape from the laundry pile that Yang had pushed her into. "Why did you call me?"
"Why, to invite you, of course!" Yang announced, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Invite me?" Strom repeated. "To what?"
"To the first inter-coed team sleepover!" the energetic blonde exclaimed. "That means both boys and girls."
"Err…" Strom stuttered, getting even more confused by the second, before managing to steady himself. "What's the catch?"
"Oh, nothing," Yang innocently smiled. "No secret tricks, no strings attached. Already got permission, so it's not breaking the rules or anything."
"Okay…" Strom muttered suspiciously. "When is this… sleepover?"
"Right after our mission!" Yang explained. "Think of it as a celebration over not dying."
"Alright then," he answered back, still caught by surprised at the nonchalant announcement. "We'll be there."
"Great! See you there!"
And then the door slammed shut on Strom's face for the final time, leaving the boy with unanswered questions and confused thoughts.