Hello everybody Wombag1786 here
So as of now I went back and fixed my mistake in the previous chapters so you don't have to pray to gad anymore Artyom. Right so I kinda forgot to add this at the end of the last chapter and this will kinda answer your question gold crown Dragon. Some people don't know or just don't care to notice but the main premise of the Darkest Dungeon is a simple one. To make the most of the worst possible situation, with that said it kinda took me a while to figure how to admit this premis into the story and add the color of Madness DLC as well. Ruby and Velvet are professional monster killers. They have trained to fight with some of the most lethal weapons for years. So how do I stack the odds against them considering they also have two even more experience monsters killers with them. The answer was simple, make their Dust... useless.
Let's start the chapter now.
"Feeling hopeless and full of despair
Is just a slow way of being
Dead."
Unknown quoter
3RD POV
Ozpin Office
Inside the headmaster's office Ozpin in his secret room. He was sitting in a torn and decaying velvet chair, while sitting he was looking longingly at the skull he had carried for years. As he stared into the shallow and hollow eyes voices from the past started creeping into his mind once more. The screams of terror followed by loud rumblings to which a foul chuckle from his eternal life long nemesis, soon the cocking of a pistol could be heard as a woman breathed heavily entered his mind replacing the wicked chuckle. A faint and maddening voice of a young woman saying quiet and fading words would echo through his mind before the sound of a loud bang breaks his trance for a moment of the ancient relic before returning to his daymare like state once more as the hollow eyes of the Mentor's skull started to glimmer a small glow of red as a something otherworldly seems to be pulling through.
His thoughts however were interrupted when a dinging sound came overhead snapping him out of his trance. He quickly pulled up his Scroll to see someone was using the elevator, so with a heavy sigh he quickly walked out of the room and sat at his desk before pushing the button closing the secret room and allowing the elevator to ascend to his office. While waiting he noticed that the skull was still in his hand and begun to panic a bit. He looked around for a place to hide it before he looked down at his desk. He quickly stuffed the skull into an empty drawer as a ding sound was made and three adults stepped out of the elevator.
"Ah Peter, Port, Glynda. How are you three doing?" Ozpin asked with a small smile, before turning to confusion as Glynda ran over to him and picked up his desk trash can before vomiting up what was left of her lunch.
"I told you Bart, you shouldn't have told her about the parasitic fungi now she's gonna starve not wanting to eat anything." Port complained as he to was feeling a bit green himself.
"Oh please Peter, eventually she is gonna starve herself till she either starts eating something or finds out about liquid foods." Doctor Oobleck said as he quickly walked over to Ozpin's desk before placing down the book. "Besides that's not important right now!"
"Oh Oum, Peter I'm sure that was just a mistake the children made by accident." Glynda said sickly after vomiting up what was left of her lunch.
"I disagree Glynda. I have spent a week reading their handwriting and I know by Ms Belladonna and Ms Niko have both great penmanship, so that only leads me to believe that Mr Dismas is hiding something by claiming that an old woman can just summon a maddening deity through some ritualistic chanting." Oobleck countered with a slightly irritated tone.
"... um sorry but what are you three talking about?" Ozpin asked getting into the conversation.
"(Sigh) Dr Oobleck claims that Mr Dismas is lying about certain lines in his report about the monsters. The lines claim that some of these monsters along with human cultist use "Magic" by using blood and charms." Glynda explained as she stood up.
"Precisely my point!" Oobleck shouts in frustration. "I'm a Doctor and doctors have spent years researching scientific explanation to help people. The idea that any yahoo with a staff can scream hocus pocus can make anything happen is an insult to science and an insult to me."
"Well there has to be a simple explanation Bart." Port said as he walked over.
"There is and that is Dismas is lying. I mean this line has to be the most amusing." Oobleck said as he grabs the book and turns the page to the center where a drawing of a woman in a cultist clothing was drawn. He then cleared his throat before speaking the line that caused a maddening creature to appear temporarily.
"FM'LATGH, GRAH'N." As he quoted the line the desk began to rattle rapidly causing him to stop talking and look down at the table in disbelief along with Glynda and Port. Ozpin began to sweat a bit nervously as the group looked at each. Before anyone could do anything Ozpin's Scroll that was on his desk began to ring causing everyone to jump a bit by the shock. As Oobleck jumped in fright he dropped the book down onto the table opening up to the formless flesh.
After a sigh of relief from everyone Ozpin reached down and answered the phone. At first he was glad that the phone rang at the moment his expression turn to something a bit sour.
"Hello this is Ozpin, who is this? ...They did what? Oh... sent five officers to the hospital... snapped Officer Kawasaki's back, is that even possible? I see well I'll send Ms Goodwitch to collect them for their mis... Wait what was that last part about a monster in the sewers? Um quick question this monster you are describing it wouldn't happen to be described as a indescribable chunk of flesh would it?" Ozpin asked as he looked even more worried.
The caller on the other line was a detective of the VPD. He had just called to let Ozpin know that two of his students were arrested for assaulting and maiming twenty officers before taking down one of them while requiring another twenty to take down the other. He also said that more students ran into the sewer system that had an unknown monster and they have been trying to contact him for hours now. Before Ozpin question could be answered a loud rumbling followed by a loud and quite frightening roar could be overheard before the sound of people screaming and panicking as the line was cut and a huge explosion sound can be heard behind Ozpin. The four looked outward to see a cloud of dust erupting from Vale.
"My Oum... What is going on?" Port asked as he walked over tot he window as he watched the smoke cloud rises.
"I think Vale is under attack." Oobleck answered as he removed his glasses in shock.
"Yeah by who?" Glynda asked as she walked over.
"No not who, what." Ozpin answered with a look of horror on his face. He quickly grabbed the book and walks over to the elevator. The three teachers looked over their shoulders to see Ozpin leaving.
"Ozpin, do you know what's happening?" Glynda asked as she raced over.
"I believe Vale is being attached by one of these monsters, and to make matters worst some of our students are in the thick of it." Ozpin answered as the elevator opens allowing the two teachers to enter leaving Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck to watch in horror as the dust cloud grew larger and the loud squeals of something horrific echoed for miles.
In the sewers
Dismas POV
"Fucking hell, Fucking hell, Fucking hell." I muttered to myself on repeat as we ran through the sewer. We had spent five minutes running through the dark as we ran in and out of different tunnels that leads to no where.
"Stop! Just stop already!" Coco shouted from the back as she begun to waiver a bit.
I wanted to keep running but then I'll be fighting it alone.
"(Huff, huff) fine we'll take a small break." I huffed as I turned around to see the group was a few seconds from dropping from exhaustion.
"Can (huff huff) someone (huff huff) tell us (huff huff) why or what are we doing down here?!" Nora complained as she bent over in exhaustion.
"Yes I would like to know the same." Coco said as she stopped huffing and gained her second wind.
"I know what's down here, and if that creature is down here then our friends are in serious trouble." I explained.
"And What pray tell is this monster?" Coco asked.
"Is it that pig from the initiation?" Ren asked causing Coco to look at him with a confused and disbelief look on her face.
"Pig is god... monster is devil." Tardif said as he pulled a stick out that was wrapped in cloth before pulling out a match.
"Whoa whoa! The hell man?" Coco said as she slapped the match out of his hand. "Do you want to blow us up to kingdom come?"
"... tunnels are getting darker." Tardif grunted before pulling out another match to which again Coco knocked it out of his hand again.
"Well I can see that but if somehow you managed to ignore this smell then you would have recognized that this is methane gas. You light that fuse we will burn to a crisp." Coco again complained as she smacks for the third time a match out of Tardif's hand.
"Well how do you suggest getting around without stumbling on our toes?" I asked annoyed about this conversation. With a light hearted chuckle she reaches into her bag and pulls out a strange device.
"When I was young I had a fear of the dark. Always carry a light around with me where ever I go." She said as she clicked a button on the stick causing a beam of light to shoot out. "I'm no longer afraid of the dark but hey you know what they say, old habits die hard."
As she showed off her light it then starts to flicker before fading away while the device made weird noises. She then looked down at the device before shaking it aggressively.
"Oh come on... I just placed in new batteries." She mumbled to herself before opening the device and a huge black cloud of something shot out and covered her face in soot. After a second of having the dust on her face she slowly removed her glasses before coughing.
"... Right so I think we are gonna stick with Tardif's plan." I said as I gave him a nod to light his torch.
Tardif then finally lit his match and set the torch ablaze before handing it off to Ren as he pulled out another and lit his own. He took the lead holding the torch high enough to light up the room. We all begun to follow him through the tunnels with Ren in the back. As we kept on walking we got more and more turn around, til we heard screaming.
"KEEP AWAY!" A feminine voice shouted out in the dark as the sound of something monstrous could be heard.
"Oh Oum that's Velvet!" Coco cried out before running in the direction of the screams, before any of us could stop her.
We bolted after her and after a minute of running we turned the corner to see her wailing her bag on a shadowy creature. It was a pair of massive tentacle like arms stretching down from the ceiling swipe and trying to grab ahold of anything. It almost grabbed Coco when Velvet dismembered it's arm with Jay's sickle. As it started to squirm in pain in crawled back into the hole from were it once came from.
"Oh my Oum Velvet! What happened?" Coco asked as she hugged the Faunus. Velvet was a complete mess, her hair tangled up with clumps of blood sticking out of it, her eyes were sunken in with terror, her right sleeve was ripped off exposing her arm to a very nasty gash and her face now had a deep bleeding slash mark over the bridge of her nose.
"We went down here thinking that it was a new Grimm, but it was some kind of... ABOMINATION!" Velvet said now on the verge of tears.
"Velvet, do you know where it is or better yet where is everyone else?" I asked as I stepped forward with a calm tone trying hard not to freak her out.
"... Jay he, he saved me. We tried to fight the monster at first but our Dust... it didn't work. After seeing this was a loosing battle Audrey told us to run, but it just wouldn't let us go. It attacked us with different parts of its body til one of them nearly killed me. It attacked Audrey and grabbed Ruby, before... Jay, he pushed me out of the way and now he's..." she couldn't finish the line before breaking down into tears as she points to a body slumped up against the wall. Tardif raises his torch high enough to see Jay laying back against the wall bleeding from his wounds.
"Oh my god ("OUM Jay!")". Me and Nora said before she bolted into a sprint and knelt beside him. She begun to rattled his body for a moment before she started to tear up.
We all knew what happened and we did the only thing we can do, give him a respectable moment of silence for our lost... til he started to chuckle lowly.
"Heh heh, are... you... my Valkyrie? Cause Valhalla looks like a sewer." Jay said jokingly as he gave his usual low and slightly maddening laughter.
"Oh my Oum! Jay your alive... but how?!" Nora asked as she hugged Jay as he gave out a painful grunt letting her know that she should stop.
"Oh that's easy... I'm immortal" he joked as Nora helped him stand up. "That and also Velvet sacrificing her lovely sleeve to stop me from bleeding, heh heh."
Nora and Velvet couldn't help but laugh along side him as he was handed off to Coco. She held him still as Tardif pulled out a fresh roll of bandages for him
Jay is no longer on deaths door.
"Death cannot be escaped! But it can be postponed."
While Tardif bandaged him I quickly walked over to Velvet who was now crying tears of joy that her saviour was gonna live.
"Velvet were did this monster go?" I asked to her as she begun to shake in terror.
"Are you crazy. The thing nearly killed them why would you want to go after it now?" Coco asked as she blared into the conversation.
"It got Ruby and Audrey, we ain't leaving them behind." I said firmly.
"Ok I understand the part about grabbing Ruby but weren't you just mumbling about how much you hate her a few minutes ago?" She said.
"She may be the most annoying person I have ever met but we have been through thick and thin and just to leave her to die down here isn't right considering how many times she saved me." I said thinking back to my time at the manor.
"He's right Coco, it isn't right." Velvet said as she took Jay from Tardif and turn to me.
"Down the hall their is a cave in take it to the next right and their should be an opening for you to enter. That's were we first met the beast." Velvet explained as she points to the tunnel leading down and into the dark.
"Alright, thank you Velvet." I said sincerely as I patted her on the shoulder. "Right Coco can you escort Jay and Velvet out of here, while the rest of us save Ruby and Audrey?"
"Yea sure I can, oh and Dismas don't die down here. I'm starting to like your thieving fashion sense." She joked as she took Jay from Velvet and shuttled down the tunnel back to the exit, all the while a vein in my head twitched in anger
"I'm a Highwayman not a Thief!" I shouted in anger as I grumbled all the way.
3RD POV
The group went further down into the tunnel till finally they discovered the hole Velvet mentioned, they slid down the rubble into the ancient aqueducts. They looked around and noticed immediately that some kind of battle had just happened here. Bits of chunks of flesh were everywhere, dust and rubble were everywhere and the most irrefutable evidence was Ruby's weapon laying haphazardly in the center of the room open in combat mode.
"Oh my Oum." Nora said sprinting forward before stopping to picking up Crescent Rose. "Oh Oum she would have never leave this behind!"
Ren nodded in agreement while the other two remained silent. After awhile the two looked over at the two and noticed that Tardif and Dismas were starring above them at the wall leading into the tunnel, in complete horror. Ren and Nora were completely confused by their actions at first until they stepped back and looked up to see a strange hand made stone circle symbol of insanity. It had skulls of different shape and sizes and leather cloth made of human skin adorning it with that symbol branded on it.
"My Oum. What does that symbol mean?" Ren asked feeling a horrible sense of complete dread.
"Madness. It is what that symbol stands for." Tardif said as he pulled out another torch stick and lit it before tossing it to Nora.
"Well thank Oum you have me, sanity is overrated anyways." Nora said as she stared at the symbol before feeling an even deeper sense of dread. That and like there were eyes on her because Dismas, Tardif, and Run were now looking at her.
"So I can't fit this weapon on me... who here can?" Nora asked as she held up Crescent Rose. Ren and Tardif looks over at the massive weapon and in all honesty neither of them wanted to carry that massive weapon.
"Dismas should carry it." Both said with a deadpan tone as Tardif pushed Dismas forward.
"What! Oh hell no I'm not gonna carry Ruby's gu..." before he could finish Nora tossed the rifle into his arms causing him to nearly lose his balance holding the heavy weapon. It wasn't really the weight that bothered Dismas but rather the shape that was causing it to be unbalanced.
"Right then Ruby and the rival of Mr Highwayman thief are in danger, let's go get them!" Nora cheers as she walks down the tunnel ignorant to the madness surrounding her. With a heavy sigh knowing full well these two would not accept helping him Dismas looked down at the rifle and played around on it until he finally found the switch that made it compact. He clipped it to his back belt before following the others.
As they walked down into the ancient Warrens they soon stop at a huge spiralling hole leading down. At the bottom they can hear the faint noise of roaring and crumbling structures like someone was dodging.
"Alright, so the beast is down their how do we handle this creature?" Ren asked as Tarif undoes his rope hook and planted it firmly into the ground.
"Forget the brain, face, ass, and spine. Just go for the heart." Tardif explained as he dropped the torch down the dark well.
"I see, will their be any chance for stealth or pre planing before we..." With out a second thought Nora gave out a loud battle cry as she jumps down into the Well with he weapon in hammer mode.
"It shall not pppppppaaaaaaasssssssss!" Nora screams with Joy as she fall down the well.
"Well there's your answer." Tardif grunted as he tossed to rope over the edge and began his decent down with Dismas behind him. Ren could only sigh in disbelief but this is something you learn to get over it when spending years with Nora. He slid out his two SMG pistols from his sleeves and jumped down the well using the blades to slow his decent.
At the bottom of the Well in the Flesh room with Audrey.
At the bottom of the well Audrey was barely holding her own as she ducked underneath the wild and cracks of the beast's attacks. Tentacles made of teeth shot out of the mountain of flesh as it took on new forms that were still as hideous as the last one. The flesh changes it's ass to a face before lunging forward only for her to barely dodge the incoming attack.
"Huff huff is that all you got? You sale morceau de chair putride!" She taunted as she took a swig from a vile filled with blue liquid. Her reflexes reaction speeds increased as she continued to dodge the creatures strikes, but eventually the flesh managed to get a lucky shot at her sending her to her knees.
She looks up as the flesh's head forms into a crooked spine. All Audrey could do is watch as her fragile body was about to be crush.
"fais-le déjà mais je ne te donnerai aucune satisfaction en me tuant" She said as she spat blood from her mouth and ready herself for the end.
As the backbone whip got ready to kill its prey a loud scream could be heard. Not one of panic and terror but rather joy and bravado.
"aaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssssss!" Nora screamed as she uses the gravity to crush the spine with her hammer. When her Magnhild made contact with the beast spine it splintered into a multitude of little pieces. Once the smoke cleared away Nora stood up before placing her hammer onto her shoulder and turned around to see Audrey.
"Oh hey Mr Highwayman thief's rival. Have you seen Ruby?" Nora asked with a smile. Audrey was completely dumbfounded not only that she was still alive but she was saved by a smaller female version of Jay. Before she could say anything the beast started to knit it self together forming a huge horse rat mix head before squealing a maddening sound.
"Ugh you have such bad breath, here have a mint it's explosive gum flavor!" Nora shouted as she transformed her hammer into a grenade launcher and aiming it at the beast's mouth. She pulled the trigger and the round shot out and landed at Nora's feet. She looks down and sees the 40MM rolls away before a black cloud of smoke emits from the shell signaling that it was a dud.
... let's try this again?" She chuckled nervously as she pulls the the trigger for it to do it again. "Third time the charm?"
The third one managed to get farther then the other two but had the effect of a cheep fire cracker. Seeing none of her grenades were gonna work she looked up, slightly frightened before letting out a small chuckle. The flesh however was still pissed about Nora breaking its spine. So with a large growl it roars before shooting out its mouth about to bite Nora when a classic ball grenade hits its face temporarily blinding it. Up above Tardif slides down the rope til he dropped down onto the floor taking ready with his Widow maker followed by Dismas and Ren with their weapons.
"Dear Oum!" Ren mutters as he witness the monstrosity known as the formless flesh.
"Remember when it exposes its heart go for it with everything you got!" Dismas says as he pulls out Thunder and Lighting.
Both Nora and Ren nods as they ready themselves. Nora already changed her weapon back to mallet mode without caring that her grenades aren't working. With a battle cry or a bad impersonation of a sloth from Nora the group charges forward to fight the creature giving Audrey enough time to find cover before consciousness fails her and she renders under her injuries drifting off to sleep.
Nora raced forward and bashed her Magnhild into the creatures face sending its bottom jaw flying into the pile of flesh. Ren came forward pointing his SMGs at the creature only for him to hear the sound of click click. Not putting his mind on the fact that his guns are no longer working the flesh had already transformed its face into a rat's ass. Out from its sphincter a long flesh strand shoots out and nearly bit Ren who easily dodged it before cutting the flesh with his Stormflower.
"Hay that thing tried to "poop" Ren! Only I can boop Ren!" Nora shouted in a mixture of a joke and rage as the creature tried to change form only for Nora to crack down on it.
Followed by Nora's crackdown. More tentacles of teeth shot out and lunged at the group til Tardif threw another flash bang at the creature, he then starts dismembering it piece by piece with Widowmaker. Soon eyes started to form on the rat's ass and it quickly changes to the head as it lunged forward with multiple teeth. It was quickly blinded when Dismas shot it with a multi shot from Thunder before racing forward and preforming a wicked slice on the creature's face causing it to bleed rapidly. The beast knew it couldn't hold out longer and started to form itself into the heart to try and rejuvenate itself. Dismas was already for his next shot and he aims it as the heart exposes itself but he never pulled the trigger. As the flesh folded back to expose its corrupt and oozing pulsating heart the group saw in horror the Ruby was covered with pulsating boils. She looked raggedy, her clothes was ripped, her hair a mess and her skin was even paler then before. Seeing her looking like that brought up memories of the night on the old road for Dismas. As his mind wanders he fails to notice that a part of the flesh remerged as a bone and whipped the ground nearly hitting him if he didn't regain his focus.
"Oh my Oum. What is this thing doing!" Nora shouted in disgust as the monsters heart started to pump causing Ruby to cry out in pain.
"It's sucking her dry! We need to remove it... NOW!" Tardif grunted as he pulled only for more fleshy ribs to shoot out and catch the spikes.
"Get your stinking heart off her you damn dirty garbage Grimm!" Nora blared as she lunged forward with her hammer at the ready. She didn't make it far as another tentacle reached out from the sphincter, biting down hard on her leg and pulling her down to the ground before nearly dragging her in if it wasn't for Tardif's quick thinking.
"That isn't gonna work! We got to try something else or Ruby is gonna die!" Ren shouted as he slashed at a bunch of small tentacles climbing out of the flesh like snake worms causing the group to move back slowly.
Everybody agreed and backed away as the beast started to seep more hideous and vulgar flesh tentacles. As the flesh moved around the ceiling it hits against a wooden trapdoor against the ceiling causing barrels to fall out and onto the ground the beast and each other. The ones that land on the ground smash open having a horrific yet familiar sent of strong and flammable ale.
"Burn the bitch down." Tardif suggested as he pulled out a match while pointing to the spilled ale.
"Yep we need to kill it with fire." Nora chirped agreeing to the plan.
"Ok yea that could work, but what about Ruby? We can't leave her their." Ren said pointing out the flaw in their plans.
"Just leave that part to me. Give me an opening and I'll pull her out." Dismas said as he reloaded his gun.
"How can you get past these tentacles?" Ren asked as he slashed at a tentacle that was reaching out to him.
"I'm a Highwayman. We're elusive, evasive, and persistent. This is just a normal Monday for me." Dismas said as he pulled out Lighting from his sheath.
"... Alright then Tardif and I will keep it distracted while Nora protects you." Ren said as he readied himself along with Tardif who had handed him one of his flash bangs.
Without even counting the group placed their plan into action. Tardif and Ren tossed their stun bombs and raced forward slashing at the small flesh tentacles. Nora and Dismas ran around the small tentacles and dodged the big ones. If one of the tentacle arms shot out of the flesh's ass Nora dealt with it a quick and unknowingly that the arm was made up of nerves painfully. Soon they got to the edge of the massive blob of flesh and Dismas did the his Highwayman tricks. He first, with the help of Nora, was tossed up towards one of the arms to which he stabbed his knife into its arm causing it to try and throw him off but couldn't. Soon Dismas managed to take some control and pushed himself off onto another that he swung over and landed on top of the heart nearly slipping off into the flesh. He then crawled around til he was next to Ruby and holding himself on by holding a huge vein coming from the heart.
"Get her off that thing and let's blow this pop stand already!" Nora complained as she started to get surrounded by other flesh tentacles.
Dismas nodded his head and begun use Lightning to slash and chip at the encrusted puss that holds Ruby to the beating heart of the flesh. The flesh of course noticed that someone was trying to remove its prize from its body and tried to gently rip Dismas away from the heart but wasn't able to with out being flattened by a crazed ginger. Soon the puss was off and now all Dismas had to do was rip her off. While pulling her off the flesh Ruby awakened with shaking eyes. She looked up at Dismas and started to speak in complete hopelessness.
Ruby is Hopeless
"Their can be no hope in this hell,
No hope at all."
"Just leave me. I shouldn't be here in the first place." Ruby said giving up as Dismas ignored her words.
He tugged and tugged until the flesh that was bound to the creatures body started to rip and tear from her body. While pulling he noticed something. A hand size shard crystal was attached inside the beating heart. It glowed a strange color of green with sounds echoing from it. As it crept inside Dismas head he shook it off along with more of Ruby's bantering about hopelessness and aims his flintlock at the crystal with a easy target. The moment he fired a shot, the flesh attached to Ruby ripped off and he fell off with her and hand. The musket ball travelled inside the heart before breaking the crystal causing a small green explosion sending Ruby and Dismas flying backwards. The Formless flesh began to twitch and move around in pain as its heart started to cave in on it self. It began to bash and strike at the wall sending rubble everywhere, while also causing Tardif's hook to come undone and fall down into the pit with them. The group realizing their was no escape looked around frantically for an escape from this tomb, but just so happens that a hidden sewer tunnel had opened up when the flesh started flinging its limbs around.
"Everyone the pit is caving in on itself we need to go now!" Ren shouted as he and Nora rush over to help Dismas and Ruby up while Tardif grabs Audrey.
Soon the four ran as Tardif grabbed a match and lit it before tossing it on the ground next to some strong ale leaking from one of the barrels. As the four dived into the tunnel the ceiling caved in leaving the beast alone as the match meets the ale and immediately everything caught on fire. The beast made one last squeal of horror as it lit ablaze and the room exploded in a mixture of fire and dust. This caused the screams to echo through out Vale while a huge cloud of dust erupts from it as well.
"(Cough, cough) Is everybody (cough cough) alright?" Ren asked coughing as he tried to fan away the dust from his face.
"(Cough, cough) ugh I'm fine but let's never do that again." Nora said feeling completely sore.
"Peachy." Tardif grunted as he stood up. His mask keeping out most of the dust.
Audrey couldn't answer because she was still unconscious, other then that she would survive.
"Ok then so how do we get out of here?" Ren asked as the dust finally started to settle.
Tardif just pulls out a fresh torch and lights it Revealing that the tunnel will lead forwar. As he points out the only exit Nora looked around her before realizing something.
"Um guys... where is Mr Highwayman thief and Ruby?" Nora asked while looking around.
The two stopped and look around them, she was unfortunately right. Dismas and Ruby were surprisingly not here.
"Oh son of a bitch." Tardif said as he hits the side of the tunnel wall.
Dismas POV
"Ugh my head" I groaned as my vision started to return. After the temporary headache passed I leant myself upwards to see the tunnel had caved in and I nearly was crushed.
"Well that was close" I said mentality as I stood up seeing how close the rocks were to my feet.
I turned around to hear Ruby's faint sobbing sound echoing in the dark but as my eyes started to adjust to the dark I noticed right then and there I was alone... except for Ruby. I begin to panic a bit before remembering that their was a split in the tunnel entrance. Hopefully the guys went left and I went right.
"(Sigh) son of a bitch. Guess I have find my own way out." I sighed before turning around to see Ruby rocking back in forth weeping all the while.
"Come on Ruby we need to go." I said as I slowly reached down only for her to slap my hand away.
"No! I'm completely useless! Just get away from me!" She screamed before returning to her original position and weeping some more. "Weiss was right I'm to young to be a huntsman. Ozpin was wrong to invite me. I should remain here among the filth."
Damn she must be on the verge of sanity at this point. She doesn't even recognize me much less her surroundings. If this keeps up she is surely going to have a heart attack. I better try and clam her down quickly.
"Ruby that isn't true, Weiss was wrong she admitted she was wrong." I said trying to convince her to snap out of it. She didn't even budge so I thought of anther way.
"What about your heroes? What would they have done at this moment." I said.
"Like who?" She weeped without looking up. Unfortunately I have no idea what her hero's are so my first thoughts turn to one person she once mentioned.
"Like um your mother. She was one of the best what would she do?" I said believing that this would help her.
"My mother is dead. She has been dead for years. Her mission cost her life and if she was in my shoes she would be dead." Ruby cried out before slumping back down into a deeper depression.
"What about your sister?" I said trying to pull her out again.
"Well she wouldn't be down here and even if she was I am nothing like my sister." Ruby whimpered as more tears drop from her face.
"... What about... Dismas?" I said trying my name. "You and him both survived the horrors of the flesh so what would he had done?"
"Dismas he... well." Ruby had finally stoped crying and now looked upwards. "He probably would kill the monster and be back home celebrating his victory... but I'm nothing like Dismas. He's brave, strong, and looks out for his friends. I'm nothing like that."
"Oh if that's so then why are you wearing his scarf?" I said pointing at my scarf around her neck.
"I am... oh right I am. Heh I think he's gonna kill me for it." Ruby said with a chuckle. I'm starting to get somewhere.
"After surviving the monster I'm pretty sure he would be more happy to see you alive and well instead of mopping around in the sewers." I said giving her the final push out of her hopeless tone.
"Yea your right. Guess I should give back his scarf." She said as she started to unwrap it from her neck and hold it in her hand as she had her out her arm outstretched. "Can you give it back to him? I don't think he would be mad if you were the one to give it back."
I didn't know what to say. So I reached out and felt her hand. It was completely cold to the touch, the poor girl must be freezing at this point.
"How about you wear it for bit while longer. I'm sure he would understand." I said as I took the scarf and wrapped it the way I always do it.
"Are you sure he will be alright with it." Ruby asked as she looked at me.
"...positive." I said as I undid her cloak from my neck and placed it on her followed by my overcoat as a good measure to make sure she doesn't freeze to death.
She silently nods and try's to stand but her strength never came back to her so she never managed to get up. With a heavy sigh I picked her up piggi back style and we walked deep into the dark tunnel. A hour went by and I find myself standing back at the entrance to the Warrens. I started my ascension up the rubble and back to the main sewer. While walking through the dark Ruby started to cry as the sound of rats scurrying around.
"Are you ok Ruby?" I asked as I kicked one of them into the water.
"I'm afraid. The rats it just reminds me of that monster. Please make them stop." She whimpered in fear.
"Alright um tell me what calms you down when you feeling scared?" I asked.
"Cuddling with my dog Zwei, eating cookies, listening to Yang's stories." Ruby said listing everything that she did to calm her nerves.
"Well I don't see anything furry you want to cuddle with, and no I don't have any cookies, but if I tell you a story will that calm you down?" I asked as I stepped over a huge rat.
"Ok sure yea a story might be nice." Ruby said as she leant her head against the back of my neck. "What's it about?"
"... it's about how a zealous warrior, a remorseful road rouge, a crazed scientist, and an abused nun saved a village from a horrible monsters that make the Grimm look like lesser of evils." I explained thinking back to the early days of my team of Usual Suspects.
"Oh I never heard this one before, please tell me more." Ruby said while slowly sounding sleepy.
"Heh alright. It all started when the Warrior and the rouge board a carriage with a Heiress to a strange and devious estate." I said starting the story of my journey to the hamlet.
3RD POV Topside
On top of the surface Yang was currently watching the hole that Dismas and his friends had jumped down into. For an hour she and Boudica had fought off the VPD until finally they managed to subdue her. It took another thirty minutes for them to take down Boudica because that woman somehow powered though five tasers and twenty different sedatives while still snapping officer Kawasaki's back. She was allowed to stay because Velvet, and Coco had returned to explain what was going on along with a heavily injured Jay. Apparently something got ahold of her sister and she had to stay and see to it that she returns safely. After thirty or so minutes a loud and horrific scream came from underneath and a huge dust cloud erupted from the hole. She now starts to panic a bit but still remain patient. Now it's been another five minutes and she starts to panic a bit more till an officer announced that someone was climbing out of the hole.
Out climes Ren followed by Nora who helps Tardif up since he was carrying an unconscious Audrey, but their was no Ruby or Dismas.
"Oh Oum." Yang said as she fell backwards as a small blaring noise filled her head as she looked at her own hand.
"She's... oh Oum." Yang couldn't fathom the thought of her younger sister gone, but now she is facing it right here and now. At first she wanted to blame Audrey for it the moment she woke up but she realized that she agreed to it. It was all her fault she just had to goof around with Dismas, now she lost them both forever. She started to cry and mourn as Ren and Nora sat beside her as they tried to help her as she mourns.
"Hey something is coming up!" Shouted one of the police officer shouts causing the rest of the police to run over.
For a moment Yang stoped crying and looked over to the hole. At the hole the sound of a blade piercing stone can be heard, and the sound of something struggling to pull itself up can be heard. After a moment a blade popped out of the hole and then a hand, soon a figure emerges with a red hooded girl sleeping all the while wrapped in a red cape and dark jacket. Yang held her breath as the police moved out of the way to reveal a dirty Dismas with Ruby fast asleep on his back completely but barely alive.
"Oh my Oum RUBY!" Yang said as she sprinted forward to Dismas as he place her down gently onto the ground.
"Dismas is she..." Yang asked as she knelt down next to her.
"Just barely." Dismas remarked as he removed Crescent Rose from his back and on the ground next to her.
"This... I... you..." Yang was at a lost for words before she hugs Dismas.
"Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't bring her back." Yang said weeping tears of joy and relief.
"Don't thank me yet, she is gonna need you by her side for a while as she recovers." Dismas said as he stood up and started to walk away until Yang stops him.
"Wait what about your scarf and your jacket?" Yang asked. Dismas turned around and looked her in the eye before down at Ruby who slept innocently.
"She nearly died from horrible mountain of flesh, if I take back my clothes she'd freeze to death. I can wait till we're at the hospital before retrieving it." Dismas said as he walked away.
"Thank you." Yang mumbled before going back to her injured sister. Dismas managed to hear her but didn't stop him from walking over to the group who were now surrounding Audrey and Jay in the back of an ambulance. The group was ranging from different bandages and patches on their body. Velvet had a bandage over her nose and on her elbow, Jay had his shirt off revealing a mess of scars but his latest one was covered in bandages around his shoulder. Finally Audrey had her head wrapped in bandages and a medical patch over her eye. Tardif, Ren, and Nora had a few bandaids and bandages over them from the bites, cuts and bruises they received from the battle.
"So then Dismas was all like bang bang and then Ren slashes at the creature's butt killing the worms living inside it till finally Me and Tardif tossed barrels of horrible smelling water that imminently burned the monster to the ground while also saving Ruby!" Nora explained to Coco, Velvet, and Jay who were listening to the story. The three gave out a small chuckle before turning to an unmasked Tardif and Ren who were also there.
"Eh some of that was true." Ren said correcting Nora.
Tardif just gave a shrug and rattle a single hand flat down in a so so gesture.
"Heh well I do say that this was an interesting evening. Oh and Coco, I am truly sorry for letting that filth touch your partner's face." Jay said apologising for the fiftieth time.
"Oh don't worry about it." Coco said as Velvet nodded in agreement.
"She's right Jay, you saved me and nearly died because of me. If anyone should be sorry it's me." Velvet said blushing a bit.
"But if I was better you wouldn't have that ugly scar over your nose so it's my fault." Jay said dearly as he looks down in distraught.
"Hey hey don't say that you did wonderful, you saved me that's what really should count right now." She said as she got up close to him and hold his hand. She then gave a small smile before whispering into his ear."Besides... I always heard that scars are sexy."
She then gave a small kiss on his cheek before stepping out of the ambulance. Leaving Jay now blushing through his mask as he begin to spaz.
"Elle... pense... que... je suis sexy?" Jay sputtered before falling back onto his gurney.
The group just looked on as Jay just repeated the line over and over like he couldn't believe it himself. Soon an EMT guy walks around the corner.
"Ok kids time to back off we need to get these three to the hospital." The EMT guy said as another one walked over with Ruby now on a gurney.
The group agrees and started to walk away except For Dismas. "Wait I got to talk with Audrey before you bring her away."
"Kid your friend is unconscious I highly doubt she is gonna..." before he could finish a loud sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard. Behind them was Ozpin and Glynda. "If he wishes to talk with her then let him talk with her. None of your patients are in a dire situation so let him."
The EMT guy looked back at the sleeping girl before back at Ozpin. (Sigh) You got five minutes kid."
The EMT guy left before Ozpin and Glynda left as well leaving Dismas alone with Audrey. Ruby was unconscious and and Jay was still flabbergasted so it was as alone as he can get at this time.
"So how much of Nora story did you hear." Dismas said as he climbs into the back.
"... about to the part of you saving Ruby." Audrey replied as she opened her eye.
"Heh yea, kinda felt like old times down their." Dismas said looking down at the floor with a chuckle.
"... Look Dismas I know why you are here, so stop going around the subject. I know I fucked up so please just get it over with." Audrey said knowing full well what Dismas really wanted.
"Well after today... I think you learn your lesson so how about you promise me that you will never involve Ruby or anyone else in these pranks of yours and we should call it even." Dismas said in a serious tone.
"... Heh heh, alright no more involving others." Audrey chuckled in agreement.
"Good that's all I want to say... oh and I'm taking your hat as well." Dismas said grabbing her belt buckle top hat. Before jumping out of the ambulance.
"Wha oh... (sigh) fine you can have it, vous bâtard rusé." Audrey said in defeat before laying back in her gurney.
Soon the same EMT guy returns and closes the back door before driving the three to the hospital. Dismas made his way back to the group who were explaining what has happened all the while Dismas took out a pipe and lights it.
"I do hope you learn your lesson today children. But I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later. At least you had some experts in this kinda of matter. Now I believe we should all head back to beacon, oh and Mr Dismas please return that pipe back to Glynda once your on Beacon property. It's still has a no smoking policy." Ozpin said as he nodded to Glynda who was waving the smell of tobacco away.
"... (sigh) very well, I will return it to her once we arrived back on beacon property." Dismas said while tipping Audrey's hat down over his eyes. With a nod from the headmaster the group follows them back to the station leading to Beacon.
The screen looks upwards towards the afternoon sky as the dust started to change into a cloud and the afternoon turns into night the screen lowers into the emerald forest.
Hours later outside of Vale in the Emerald forest.
The forest was once again quaint and silent. Nothing was making a noise for a few animals and crickets. Soon a crashing sound can be heard as a Beowolf pushed a stranger down onto her back as it tried to rip her throat out. Instead of her neck it bit down on a small shield with a serpent's eye in the middle. As it slowly removed the shield more Beowolves ran out of the forest as one of them was grabbed by its hind leg and dragged back into the bush before the sound of something horrific ripping it to shreds.
The Beowolf finally tore the shield away from the girl revealing to have no hand but a bloody stump wrapped in bandages. The Beowolf now lunges down only to impale its self on a strange spear, It let out a small wiper as it died. The woman stood up revealing herself to be wearing custom made yellow bedlah with shimmering snakeskin like chainmail on her arm. She was now surrounded on all sides by the pack of Beowolves except for one side and it was because standing over a dead Alpha Beowolf wasn't a creature of Grimm but something else. It had hardened red skin with sharp and dangerous horns coming from the top of its head, all the while standing on its hind legs with a unique letter A scar branded on its head. Before any of the Grimm could react the beast jumped forth and tackled the one Beowolf opposite to it before mauling it to death. The woman used her spear to dance around her attacker's while also using her poison tipped spear. After a few minutes the pack of Beowolves laid down dead, either by the beasts ravaging claws and teeth or by the woman's spear that was named after her strange saviour.
"(Huff huff) for a moment their I thought I was dancing for another nightmare... how about Bigby, are you a mirage or is this a reality that we find ourselves in?" The woman said in a Arabic accent as she turned around to see the beast was gone laying before her was a beaten and scrawny man with a tattered and ripped cloth over him.
"I know that I am real and those bites definitely felt real. So yes I can gracefully say that this is not a dream, friend." The man now known as as he picked himself up revealing him to look like his younger years.
"Well as grateful as I am that we are not suffering in a vivid nightmare, one must have to admit about the strange environment we find ourselves in." The woman said as she picked up her shield and slung it over her arm with the missing hand.
"I have to agree Amani, this place feels and smell much different from the hamlet. Instead of misery and death it feels and smells like... a normal forest." Bigby said as he sniffed the world around him.
"Their is also the fact that we appear much younger then what we should look like. This is horrible for me Bigby. What if that Vizier did this to me and you were brought along by mistake. I hate the idea of being his plaything but I hate the idea of seeing you back in bondage as his trophy." The woman now known as Amani said as she started to shake in fear.
"Do not threat friend, I highly doubt that man has the influence let alone the ability to do this to us and even if he were to I'll see to it that he couldn't so much as move when I rip his throat out." Bigby said as he hugged Amani to calm her down.
"... heh you know it's funny. Back at the manner you were always taller then most but now it's kinda adorable that you are smaller then me." Amani said patting Bigby on the head.
"I had... a late growth spurt growing up." Bigby said as he backed off. Amani could only laugh at her companions embarrassment but her laughter was cut short when the howling of more Grimm started their advance.
"(Sniff sniff) Their are more of them... but something else. I smell people, lots of them." Bigby said as he wrapped some chain around his arm readying himself.
"Well considering that we are getting tired by the minute from all this fighting I say we should try our luck. Maybe these people can give us some direction to where we are." Amani said as she readied herself for an attack.
"By the amount of people they would have something protecting them. They're south of us only a mile away... we should run now." Bigby said before the two broke off into a sprint heading south as another wave of Grimm came forth.
The screen pulled back from the forest pulling upwards to reveal a town surrounded by a tall wall and huge guns. In the center of the town a smoke cloud was still visible from an attack by a horrific creature living in the swears earlier that day.
Hello everybody Wombag1786 here
Let's answer some questions first.
Gold Drangon Crown: Well that depends. If we are talking about the effects of the metior like how in this chapter a shard effect their Dust then yes it will. If we are talking about enemies well then I honestly don't know... so maybe.
Thanks for writing Gold Dragon Crown.
Carre: 1. Still pleasing and your welcome.
2. Monarch style of federal system is confusing enough already so your welcome.
3. I would give you a gold star for the thumbs up but I highly doubt you would feel a crudely drawn star on a sticky note through your screen. So I guess I'll stick with the thank you for your support your thumb.
Thanks for writing Carre.
Right onto business so I'm gonna work on my other story's for a bit let this chapter sink in for a bit. So I just added the last two character into the story, the abomination (Bigby) and the Shieldbreaker (Amani) so this should make for an interesting secondary team. So I added the J and Velvet ship into the story and now the question is, should I ship any more of the DD guys with RWBY's characters. I mean I already did this with Velvet and J (To be honest I see Velvet becoming J if she was persecuted for a few more years without Coco or any of her friends protecting her. So that's why I think J and Velvet ship looks good.) and I am considering shipping Coco with Audrey or Tardif maybe, but I'm still thinking of different ways on how these guys relationship can change them. Like how Dismas is taking on an older brother or father like figure for Ruby. Now with love and relationships out of the way we just saw that the dust became useless because of that shard from the meteorite from the color of madness DLC, I won't go into details on how that is possible yet cause it's tied to a major chunk of the story. I will be bringing this up a lot and it will play on the ending because this stuff will change EVERYTHING.
Right so another thing I do have the next chapters plan out for the future, but this next part I kinda want the readers to vote on. I have three upcoming boss battles plan and the big question is which one should go first. So I'll let you the reader decide on what should come first. Remember all of these boss battles are gonna happen it's just deciding who goes first. Don't place them in order I just want to know what you think should come first. With that said their is some ups and downs to it so I'll list them off and you can vote in the comment section.
1. A few ships of the coast of Menagerie have appeared destroyed or missing with the sailors aboard story's of horrific watery creatures causing Ozpin to send team damage and the other team (name coming soon) to the Faunus island. (Has a side plot were Dismas brings a letter from Blake to her parents and Bigby feeling normal and the monster being one of the cove monsters either siren or the drowned crew.)
2. An Atlas warship discovered an abandoned stolen White Fang airship and sends a team of soldiers onboard only for something sinister to capture them including specialists Schnee. As a favor Ozpin sends DPBS and other team to airship. (Has a plot line that involves the Baron from the crimson court tourching Winter nearly to death and as a side plot Team RWBY and JNPR are trying to discover who Dismas and his friends are.)
3. People are disappearing and nature is looking twisted and corrupted. Leonardo Lionheart asked Ozpin for help and Ozpin sends team damage and the other team over with the aide of Sun. (Sun will be working with the group and their will be a brief moment when Raven, Yang's mom joins the team against the cannibal hag boss, side story will be about Ruby wanting to idealizing Dismas and [Blank] trying to prevent her because of his past.)
I do hope you tell me your thoughts especially since the abomination and the shieldbreaker will be on a team with Audrey and Tardif.
So with that said please Fav and Fol the story and leave a comment.
This is Wombag1786 signing off.