A/N: As always, thanks for the continued support! It is quite flattering to get such compliments over my story. I'm just glad that my work is being enjoyed and that the frequent updates have made up for the long hiatus after after chapter three.
Anyway, before I wrote chapter 11, I had not watched the movie Annihilation, but finally decided to after reading a guest review compare the Antlered Grimm I made up and the bear from the movie. After seeing that scene, I am deeply, deeply disturbed. It was quite unnerving and I do recommend the movie for any sci-fi/horror fans.
Chapter 12: Hell is Empty
Henryk should have known they were falling into a trap. If he had only been paying attention to the details, it would have been overtly obvious that the masked man was all too willing to lead them to the source of that voice. Furthermore, that voice was lacking a true humanness to it. In tone, it did sound genuine. It pleaded for help. Yet, every time it sounded, there was no change in how it was said, nor were any other words spoken. Simply, help me. However, the Hunter did not pay attention to the signs. He was far too focused on saving what sounded like a young girl.
Henryk was not willing to allow another die if he could help it. He remembered telling Gascoigne's daughter of Oedon Chapel, but the Hunt was still on, so his work was not over. He left that girl to look for Oedon Chapel as he continued his duty. Over time, he realized that she never reached the safe haven. What a fool he had been, to not escort the young girl. He should have known there was no way she would have made it on her own. Still, Henryk held out hope that somewhere, she was alive and well. Perhaps there was another safe place he was not aware of. Regardless, the Hunter decided to search for Gascoigne's daughter. He first went back to her home and was instead answered by her older sister, who told him that the young girl had left. He traced the likely path she would take to get to Oedon Chapel, ending up in the sewers with the man-eater pig. Henryk cursed as the giant pig squealed. The Hunter gave the beast a quick end before he lit a torch to illuminate the sewer, finding a white ribbon dyed in blood in the water. Henryk picked it up and leaned against the wall before sliding down to the ground. She died because of him. "Damn it…" The Hunter slammed his fist into the wall. "Damn it all."
Henryk brought the ribbon back to the young girl's older sister, who took it from him with nothing but pain in her eyes. He had seen a lot during the Hunt. He saw hatred. He saw pity. He saw sorry. Despite it all, never had he ever wanted to simply walk away from it all until this moment. He watched the tears well up in her eyes as she weakly held onto the bloodied ribbon. She held it close to her chest as the tears rolled down her face. "Oh, how did this happen…Why would she ever go outside?" She cried. Henryk knew why. He urged her to. It was his fault. "At least…I'll have something to remember her by." The Hunter averted his eyes as he unconsciously placed his gloved hand over his heart, clawing at the pain. "I am sorry…" He couldn't bring to tell her the truth. The Hunter chose not to tell her of the Oedon Chapel. He didn't want her to have the same fate as her sister. Henryk left without saying another word.
One day, he decided to give the young woman a visit. He knocked at her window once more, receiving only silence as an answer. The Hunter felt a lump in his throat, knowing that could only mean one thing. He began his search for the young woman, but Henryk did not have to search far. He peered down the nearby ladder, seeing her corpse at its base. The Hunter grit his teeth as he noticed the blood on the brick troll. In his anger, Henryk gave the brick troll as violent an end as he could before bending down to the corpse of the young woman. He hesitated before gently picking up the white ribbon in her hair. "I am so sorry…" The Hunter clutched the ribbon in his hand tighter. "Sorry…" He choked. Henryk swore to be more honest from then on, not only to himself, but to others. He swore to give the proper information when necessary, for it could save lives. He swore to be better than himself.
The Hunter was snapped back to reality when the massive Grimm in front of them screeched at the group, forcing the students to cover their ears from the deafening sound that rang multiple times in the cave. He immediately recognized that sound. He would never forget that beastly roar with his first steps into Yharnam. Chester laughed before calmly walking away from the group, heading for the cave entrance. "Well, it would seem that you lot will be busy, so I will leave you to it. Take care!"
Leo looked back at the masked man. "Hold it!" Looking away from the Antlered Grimm was a mistake as it swiped at the warrior, sending her crashing into a wall. Ren noticed how the Grimm had completely ignored the mysterious man while its gaze was completely locked on the group. There was only one reason why a Grimm would ignore a person, and that was if it couldn't detect any negative emotions. It couldn't be his semblance. He didn't observe any sort of activation, and if the man was anything like Henryk and Leo, then it is likely that the masked man doesn't have one either. Did the man have no fear? No malice? Anything?
"Leo!" Jaune called after the warrior before he was tackled by Pyrrha, narrowly escaping the sweeping claw of the Grimm.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha picked herself up from her partner. "Leo will be fine. We have to focus!"
The blond leader looked in Leo's direction again, seeing her push herself off the wall with a grimace as she tightened her grip around her hammer. "R-right." Jaune quickly stood up as well, raising his shield towards their massive foe. The Antlered Grimm screeched once more before bringing one of its heavy arms above all of them.
"Everyone, move!" Henryk ordered. They all immediately took to the sides of the cave as the Grimm slammed its hand into the ground, shaking the entire cave. The Hunter cursed as dust and rocks began to fall. "Head for the entrance. We cannot fight the beast here."
The group immediately ran for the cave's entrance, but the Antlered Grimm quickly followed behind, slamming its hand into the ground with every step. Leo looked behind her and grimaced. The cave would collapse at this rate before they could make it out. She stopped and reeled an arm back, her hand igniting before she threw the flame at the ground between them. The flame pooled into lava as it hit the ground before she continued running behind the rest of the group. The Antlered Grimm slammed its hand into the pool of lava, recoiling and screeching in pain as its hand was set ablaze. The two teams and their professors ran out of the cave, taking a quick look at their surroundings, but that mysterious masked man was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it," Leo shook her head as the man had escaped.
"Focus," Henryk looked back at the cave entrance. "We still have another problem to deal with."
The group returned their gaze to the cave as they heard its screeches sound from the cave. "Help me!" It called as they observed the fire slowly become larger as the Grimm got closer. "Help me!" The students shivered at the sound, now knowing full well what it was.
"That's disgusting…" Yang grit her teeth as she curled her fingers into fists, raising them in a fighting stance.
The Antlered Grimm burst out of the cave before screeching into the open air, the fire having spread up its arm. Henryk scowled as the beast finally revealed itself in the light of day. It easily towered above all of them, standing at double Henryk's height. The Grimm's mask appeared more like the skull of a dear, with its antlers branching out as if it wanted to spread further and make the world its own. Its body was characteristically pitch black like all Grimm, with a large torso and small hind legs. Its legs were too small to support its weight, instead using its muscular arms to maneuver itself. The Antlered Grimm screeched once more as it began to move, using its arms to do so. The fire from its burning arm spread onto the grass.
Ruby turned to her partner. "Weiss!"
"On it!" The heiress tightened her grip around Myrtenaster, the revolver clicking into place as it loaded itself with a blue crystal. She pointed the rapier towards the fire, creating glyphs that summoned waves of water to wash over the blaze covering the grass and the Grimm's arm.
The Antlered Grimm screeched and swiped one of its massive arms towards Weiss, only to be interrupted by Leo, who slammed Morne's Great Hammer the Grimm's hand into the ground. She quickly brought the hammer up, swinging it into its torso, felling the giant beast. The warrior glanced back at the students, who appeared ready to fight as ever. She liked their spirit. "Why don't you kids allow us to take care of this?"
"What? No way!" Ruby protested. "We want to help you!"
"Yeah, we already got this far!" Nora exclaimed.
"I would prefer to have as few variables to concern myself over when fighting a beast." Henryk said plainly, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist. "So step aside."
Pyrrha also wanted to help them, but she stopped upon seeing the Hunter's piercing gaze directed towards the Antlered Grimm. The eyes of a professional—cold and calculating. "Best that we leave it up to them. Let's get out of their way."
"Oh, c'mon! You, too!" Nora argued, but was pulled away by Ren.
Yang and Ruby wanted to fight as well, but their respective partners were in agreement with their red-haired companion. With the students out of the way, the two professors focused on the Grimm that slowly stood up to tower above them again.
"Hunter's work once more," Henryk grumbled before finally drawing the sword, its blade imbuing itself with his own blood. The group watched from afar, both disgusted and in awe of the grotesquely beautiful weapon. Perhaps the weapon was a metaphor that there could be elegance even amongst horror. Henryk gripped the weapon with both hands before quickly closing in, slicing the blood blade across the Antlered Grimm's torso. It screeched in pain before clapping its hands together in an attempt to crush the Hunter, but he had already dodged out of the way, dragging the weapon along one of its arms.
Leo did not allow the Grimm a chance to recover, slamming her hammer into the Grimm's other arm. The Grimm fell forward as its arms were the only thing keeping its full weight up. It screeched once more, but the sound was cut short when Leo's hammer smashed in its face. She grabbed the Grimm by its antlers, slamming its head into the ground to disorient it. "Henryk!"
The Hunter dashed in, preparing to pierce the Grimm's head with the Chikage, but the Antlered Grimm screeched once again, shaking the very ground with the sound. Leo lost her balance only for a moment, but that was enough for it to overpower her, wildly shaking its head, tossing the woman aside. The Grimm quickly stood up once again, picking up its hand high up into the air before slamming it down once again. Henryk easily stepped out of the way, stabbing the weapon into the hand. The Grimm cried out in pain once more before suddenly digging its claws into the earth and pulling its arm upwards. The resulting force and debris hit the Hunter, sending him crashing into a tree. The Antlered Grimm's gaze fell upon the distant students before it began closing the distance between them.
"Oh, crap." Yang said, assuming a fighting stance again—as did the others.
Leo began running after the beast, but quickly realized that there was no way she would be able to make it in time. The warrior had to quickly think of a way to help them. What were their semblances, again? How could she help. Her eyes widened as she formulated an idea, reeling her hand back as it became coated in sparks before she held onto a bolt of lightning. "Nora!" She shouted as loud as she could before throwing it.
"Huh?" The orange-haired girl let out before suddenly being struck directly in the chest by the bolt. Nora looked down at herself as she felt the power surge in her body. She never felt such a pure form of electricity since she first discovered her semblance by being struck by lightning. She grinned at the charging Grimm, twirling Magnhild between her fingers before catching it tightly in her hands. "Alright!" Nora charged forward as well, her team reaching out their hands to stop her, to no avail. The girl swung Magnhild into the Antlered Grimm's arm, breaking it. It fell forward to the ground, its momentum causing the Grimm to slide through the dirt. The students surrounded the Grimm as it weakly growled. The two professors finally caught up.
"This Grimm is a predator. Step away!" Henryk ordered. Heeding his warning, the students backed away—just in time as the Antlered Grimm lashed out with its other arm. The Hunter jumped up onto its back, drawing Chikage from its sheath once again, forming its blood blade once more before stabbing it into its chest. The Grimm cried out, "Help me!" Henryk's face twisted in disgust, turning the blade inside the creature before jumping down, dragging the blade along through its torso. The Hunter walked over to its front, grabbing one of its antlers and staring into its eyes. The Antlered Grimm growled at the Hunter before screeching once again, but it was far too weak to retaliate. Henryk grit his teeth before stabbing Chikage into its face. The screeching stopped as its entire body seized up before dissipating away. "What a foul beast…"
"We've never seen that before…" Blake commented. "What was it?"
"Just another slain creature." Henryk answered, but it was heavily reminiscent of a Cleric Beast.
"What was that man talking about before?" Ren asked. "Do you know him?"
"No." Henryk said curtly. "It was just nonsense."
Leo tightened her fingers into a fist, averting her gaze away from the students.
Weiss looked in between the both of them, crossing her arms. "Sure doesn't seem like just nonsense."
"Hey," Yang spoke up, albeit gentler than she normally would. "I thought we were all going to be honest here. Let's just talk and…get to know the both of you." She suggested after Weiss' insight from the day before.
"Yeah, we won't judge." Ruby smiled encouragingly.
Henryk sighed softly as he looked between the students, all of whom were giving sympathetic expressions for the both of them. What an odd sight. Perhaps in this day and age, he could allow himself to sit down and speak naturally to others. Perhaps he could prove that he was more than just a Hunter. His crimson eyes shifted towards Leo, who still averted her gaze from the group, although her fingers had returned to a relaxed state.
"We can speak at the academy." Leo finally managed.
The two teams found themselves sitting in the classroom once again, though not for any actual lessons. Henryk was standing as he usually did, but Leo took to sitting at the desk, having stripped herself of her armor in her room before returning to the classroom in casual attire. The students looked between each other, slightly uncomfortable in the silence. Nora wanted to say something, but decided against it, surprisingly without need of Ren's interjection. Their discomfort did not go unnoticed by Henryk, who finally broke the silence. "Well, where should we begin?" He asked, his tone taking a more passive approach than his usual demeanor.
"How about with what that guy was saying," Jaune suggested. "He called you a murderer." The blond leader held back any bite in his words. He was trying to contain his own feelings and be rational about the situation, but he couldn't stop thinking of how Henryk harmed Leo.
The Hunter paused for a moment before sighing. "I suppose it would depend on how you view it." His answer came as surprising to the students. It should be a simple answer.
"Professor…That doesn't make any sense," Weiss said with a slight frown.
"If you kill a man, it is murder. If you kill a Grimm, you are only doing your job as huntsmen and huntresses," Henryk began. "Would you consider what you do murder?"
"Of course not!" Ruby defended. "Huntsmen and huntresses are heroes! They uphold the peace and protect humanity!" She recounted the tales she heard as a child that inspired her to become a huntress herself.
"Grimm don't have souls. They cannot feel as we do." Pyrrha noted. "Even that one we encountered earlier. That was the first time I've heard of any Grimm managing to speak, but it almost sounded like a recording—like it had copied that." It made the group realize that the Grimm must have mimicked a young girl who actually said those words. A young girl who likely is no longer in the world of the living. "They are completely self-serving and care not for humanity."
"What if you learned that Grimm were once men? Would that make all of you murderers?" Henryk said, shocking the students.
The students froze before Ren broke the silence. "Professor, are you saying—"
"No, I am only trying to present you a scenario. Fret not," Henryk sighed. "However, this is a dilemma that is very real for me. Once a patient has had their blood ministered, a unique but common treatment in Yharnam, successive infusions recall the first, and are all the more invigorating for it. It was no surprise that they were all heavy users of blood."
"That blood ministry—are you talking about the beast blood?" Pyrrha asked.
Henryk nodded his confirmation. "Correct. Unless they were affiliated with Hunters or were Hunters themselves, they would have no knowledge of how to keep the beast blood in check. Most would turn into beasts. The blood ministration was foolish." He cursed under his breath. "Beasts they may be, they were still once men. I knew a man who broke his oath as a Hunter and sided with the beasts when he could no longer stomach the knowledge. I disagreed with him for a long time, but sometimes, I am not sure." Henryk sighed softly. "I have slaughtered many beasts, often thinking they are no more than mere prey as I sought answers through the flesh and gore." The Hunter thought to the suspicious beggar he had found on that rooftop in the Forbidden Woods—the words the man said upon the Hunter's intuition telling him that he was just like the others below. Perhaps he was the beast after all.
"I think…" Blake began. "That it is a very complicated issue…but it doesn't make me think any less of you for it."
Henryk was surprised by the answer. His lips unconsciously curled into the slightest smile. "I see."
The students were impressed by his reaction, never having expected him to actually reveal such an expression to them. They looked between each other, seemingly satisfied before they turned their attention to Leo, who remained seated at the desk, her eyes seeming distant as they stared down at the wooden surface. "Leo?" Nora said to get her attention.
The woman finally looked up, seemingly having forgotten where she was. "Yes?"
"U-uhh…" Nora scratched the back of her head sheepishly. Asking for her story was a more difficult task than she thought it would be, considering what that masked man claimed she did. The woman who threw herself in front of them, disregarding her own life to save theirs—they couldn't imagine that Leo would allow her friends to die.
"About what that guy said earlier," Yang took over. "It's not true, right? He made that up."
"It's true." Leo said as her throat tightened once again. She looked down once again. "It's true." She said lower.
Silence fell upon the room again. The students didn't want to believe it. She was clearly consumed by guilt for whatever it was she had done. No malicious person feels guilty for their actions. Henryk hesitated for a moment before approaching his partner, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "No, Leo. It is not. You did not allow anything."
"I did."
"No, you—"
"I did!" Leo shouted, standing up as she punched her fist into the desk, cracking it. The students recoiled at the sudden action. "I knew what would happen and I did it anyway! They died because of me!" She held a hand over her eyes, hopelessly trying to cover the tears that began rolling down her face. "Why do I get to live? Why? Why? Why…"
Henryk looked upon her sympathetically as she sat back into the chair, the room now being filled by the sound of her gentle sobs. The Hunter kneeled in front of her before gently picking up her hand, picking out the splinters from her punching the desk. Leo wiped her eyes with her other hand before looking down at her partner, kneeling before her with her hand in his. She made a strange expression before she wiped away the tears in her eyes. It was a strange sight to behold to have anyone kneel in front of her, as if she were royalty or deserving of such reverence. She squeezed his hand as Henryk pulled out the last of the splinters from her knuckles. "Are you treating me like a princess?"
"A princess need not speak, should she not wish to." Henryk said with a poised expression.
Leo stared at the Hunter before her cheeks reddened as the heat rose into her face. She used her free hand to cover her face as she averted her eyes in embarrassment. "As if I could be a princess." Despite her words, the woman couldn't help but smile underneath her hand. Henryk finally released her hand before he stood back up, looking back at the class now that Leo was recomposed. Sunset hues flicked to the class, seemingly having forgotten that they were there before she turned to face them. She observed a mix of expressions, ranging from sly smiles to a beaming Ruby.
"I…Sorry. That was unbecoming of your professor."
"That's alright," Jaune said. "Take all the time you need."
"Yeah," Ruby added on. "You don't have to tell us. We understand, right, guys?" Her teammates nodded, as did team JNPR.
"No. You deserve to know." Leo managed to smile, albeit somberly. "The time I lived in was cursed. The world was doomed to continually live and die in a cycle to prolong the life of a by-gone age."
"That's horrible." Nora commented.
The warrior nodded. "Knowing that, I decided I could not allow the vicious cycle to continue. With that goal in mind, I continued my journey, and I met many people along the way. They taught many of the abilities I have now." Leo looked down at her hands, as a mix of flames and sparks danced between her fingertips. She looked back up at the students as they stared at the small display of power.
"If you were going to end the cycle, then does that mean…" Weiss began, but trailed off as she realized the answer to her own question.
"They didn't survive. No one did." Leo finished for her. "And I knew that would happen, too." The woman sighed once again as she stood up from her seat, beginning to pace to keep herself occupied. Before she could continue speaking, all she saw was rose petals floating in the air before she felt a force hit her. Leo looked down, seeing Ruby suddenly embracing her, stuffing her face into the warrior's torso. "What are you doing?"
"It's not your fault." The young leader's muffled voice sounded.
"But—"
"It's not your fault!" She said louder, turning her head to look up at the woman. "Have you been keeping that to yourself all this time?" Ruby asked with concern in her voice.
Leo opened her mouth, but she was unable to find the words. She looked up at the others who all offered a mix of expressions: sympathetic, sadness, mournful—but none showed anger. Why didn't they?
"It's okay." Ruby said again as she tightened her embrace.
How can it be okay?
"It's okay, Leo." Ruby said again.
Maybe it will be.
"It's okay."
Leo slowly returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around the young girl. "Thank you."
"Do you think so, too?" Leo said as she and her partner walked to their rooms. Henryk glanced at the warrior. She looked at the Hunter, noticing his confusion before she looked back in front of her with a small sigh. "What Ruby said. Is it okay? Am I okay?"
Henryk paused. What was he supposed to say? Such conversation was far outside familiar territory. "No, you are not okay."
Leo made a pained expression.
"But, that is okay."
Her pained expression turned to confusion as sunset hues returned to the Hunter. How does that make sense?
"You did what you believed to be the best decision. However, there is no telling that what you did was not for the best." Henryk stopped, gently grabbing the warrior's wrist to stop her as well. "You are hurting. I am, too. I do not know how to stop it, but we are here."
Leo studied the man's face, finding nothing but certainty written over it. She wasn't sure if she fully understand what he was trying to convey, but she the pain in her chest was subsiding. Perhaps there was no clear answer—no clear right and wrong. "We're here."
A/N: This chapter's title is part of a quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest, "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."
Anyway, I feel like I have come a long way since the first chapter. Thanks for sticking around this long! From the very first reviews I have gotten, Henryk and Leo were obvious focus points and I hope that they have continued to deliver. Of course, no character can deliver without the proper story and a wonderful cast to back it, and I have the wonderful world of RWBY to thank for that.
Thank you for reading and as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.
