Life of a Grimmborn Chapter 24: A New Dark World
A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the first new Grimmborn chapter of the New Year! I hope both your winter holidays and New Year's were a fun time to be had and that the new year treats you right! Now getting into things over here, we now enter Vol 4 of Grimmborn proper with many things different than canon. And as for Vol 5 and going forward, I am waiting for the current season to conclude which should be in the next two-three weeks from now before I decide on any major story changes to my current plan with this fic.
So with that being said, hope you all enjoy reading my first chapter of the new year!
Disclaimer: No own RWBY.
Life of a Grimmborn Chapter 24: A New Dark World
The crackling of sparks and fire snapped near the ears of Kor as the grogginess of sleep began to shake. The ache of his bones made it hard for him to stand up but his claws still pushed the wet ground below. Managing to get on his knees, Kor held his throbbing head as his vision began to return to him.
All around him was a scene of armageddon that bore a hellish landscape where fire reigned. Grimm's bodies were dissolving in the distance, human bodies piled up in some sort of sick gathering. Looking to the ground made the hybrid want to vomit into the large puddle of red blood that was spread all over. He scampered onto his feet, wobbling slightly at his woozines to look at the surrounding area.
Everywhere he looked it was nothing but destruction and carnage abound with either people dying or running from the dangers around them. It was absolute madness that not even his screams could stop. Seeing a horde of Grimm ready to tear into an innocent family made Kor jump out to defend them but his foot tripped over a body.
Looking back to what he tripped over made him fall to his knees in shock. Ruby's unmoving body laid on the ground with a pool of blood surrounding it. "H-H-Hey! Hey! Wake up Ruby!" He picked up the body and shook her shoulders to snap her out of unconsciousness. But the glazed over look in her dull silver eyes told Kor the inescapable truth.
Ruby Rose was dead.
Placing the body down softly, the grimmborn felt his eyes burn with tears of sorrow at seeing one of his friends dead. But after wiping the tears it was clear to see that she wasn't alone on the ground. Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, countless other friends and students alike were all covered in fatal injuries all over. Claw marks having torn their most vital areas to shreds.
'This… this can't be happening… They can't be dead. They can't. They can't. They can't!' Thoughts of this manner kept piling up in the teen's head like soot blanketing a volcano. Denial of the situation was all he could do in seeing such a despairing situation. The world had gone to hell, his friends all dead and the Grimm were running amok killing anyone they could see.
The family screamed in their final moments as they were devoured. The anguish of their cries being the sole thing that tore Kor from his own despair to witness the birth of anothers. His legs refused to move from the paralyzed state they were in even when he was beginning to be surrounded by the Grimm. The horde circled in on him with a large shadow figure towering over them all. One by one all the Grimm kneeled to Kor, their heads low on the ground in some sort of reverence to him.
"You did nothing wrong."
The unfamiliar voice echoed into Kor's ears making him look down at his claws. Seeing the pieces of the broken Crescent Rose lodged under his large nails.
"You did nothing wrong."
All over his body the signs were everywhere. A scorch mark from Dust that burned to the touch. Rope burn around his neck and the sudden feeling of a broken ribcage.
"You did nothing wrong."
He did this.
"You did nothing wrong."
He killed them.
"You did nothing wrong."
Slaughtered his friends. His family. His loved ones.
"You did nothing wrong."
It was wrong.
"You did nothing wrong."
It was wrong!
"You did nothing wrong."
… It was wrong, wasn't it?
"You did nothing wrong."
The world below Kor began to sink away into the inky blackness as the Grimm and the tall figure began to melt away. The puddle of blackness swallowed the boy whole as the apocalyptic wasteland faded from his sight and mind. But as his sight was covered by the darkness two glowing red eyes hovered towards him in the abyss. Ever so slowly until they were face to face with each other.
A much more pleasant sound filled the boy's ears once the red eyes faded away from his sight. The chirping of a songbird made his ears crinkle as he began to arouse from his sleep. He blinked hard a few times to get the light of the sun shining on his face to stop burning. Once he finally adjusted to the light, he sat up on his rear end and took a look to his unfamiliar surroundings.
The room itself was simple in nature with a bed her was currently on along with a bookshelf, rug and table. The window that had the songbird on its perch showed the shining sun beaming down light into the room. On a nearby coat hanger was his jacket hung up neatly with his sword leaning up against the stone cobbled wall next to it. Kor looked down and sighed with relief that he was still dressed in his undershirt and jeans.
Wherever he was, it seemed that he wasn't in an area that screamed of immediate danger. If that were the case he was sure that he wouldn't have woken up to begin with. His bones and joints popped when he attempted to move out of the bed, making Kor groan with the leaving aches in his body. Slowly but sure enough he managed to get up on his two feet. The sound of bones popping the air out between them cracked into the open silent air. He moved to the window which caused the bird to fly away into the sky above a sight that made Kor's eyes widen.
Judging from how high he was, he was near five stories high above a huge stretch of buildings. The architect of the buildings seem to be mostly made of stone and wood much like the houses of Windgate that had a bit of the city vibe mixed in. Tall five story high buildings peppered across the horizon from this new place he found himself in. Even looking above from where he was at, the castle like building was standing at about ten stories higher than the others. Back on the ground he saw numerous people walking to and from the various streets and buildings that stretched around.
The faint sound of footsteps echoed down the outside of the door, slowly drawing closer which grabbed Kor's attention back to the door. He contemplated reaching out for his sword but by the time he moved his hand, the door was opening. From the door came a young girl that was wearing a red bomber jacket and black jeans with fingerless gloves and combat boots. Her scarlet red hair had a streak of black running down her left side traveling down to her back with two horns coming out of her head. "Alright you sleeping bedbug. Time for some so-"
"..."
"..."
The new arrival stared deep into Kor's awake eyes, the plate of food she was holding began to shake as the two continued to stare. But he didn't take notice of her shaking, rather he noticed one thing that truly stuck out to him.
Her eyes were the same as his, irises burning a bright scarlet instead of blood red.
Kor took a step forward to this girl, ready to ask a million and one questions about who. Or more accurately, what she was. But the first step he took caused an unexpected reaction.
She dropped the full tray of food which shattered upon ground contact.
"G… Guys…? Guys…? Guys. Guys!" The girl immediately turned around and began sprinting down the hallway. Leaving the young hybrid gobsmacked at the sudden reaction. "Phantasma! Levi! Master Xavok!"
"H-Hey wait!"
Kor gave chase to the girl who was already down the hallway by the time he hit the doorframe. He cursed under his breath seeing her flee down a stairway but moved after her. As he reached the bottom of the stairway, two large polearm axes blocked his path further down the grand hall. Looking to both his left and right he was taken aback at seeing two grimmborn in black armor impeding his path.
"Move! I need to catch that girl!"
Both of the armored grimmborn shook their heads simultaneously and crossed their weapons even further to block more space. "We cannot allow you to pass young grimmborn from the human world. Lady Zelia requested that we block you in until such a time that Master Xavok can arrive."
"Wh… What did you just say her name was? Are you all grimmborn?"
The two glanced at each other for a moment while nodding their heads to the question. "We are indeed grimmborn. Just like you."
"And we said her name was Zelia. Now, we request that you return to your room and wait for Master Xavok to arrive. Your sleep was a long one and you shouldn't be taxing your body like this."
He wanted so badly to slip by the guards and chase after the terrorist that he had heard about from Weiss's story of the Atlas incident. But even past these two guards were even more sporting all kinds of weaponry. Last thing he'd want in a situation like this was to be skewered after just waking up. Kor grimaced at his luck and allowed the two of them to escort him back to the room he awoke in.
The wait was agonizing in the unfamiliar room. Millions of questions few by in milliseconds of each other leaving the hybrid more confused than ever. Sorid was right all along? Why is Zelia here? Is that demon Scarmiglione here? Who is this 'Master Xavok'? Where was he that no one was surprised that he was a grimmborn but said people themselves were grimmborn? Kor's head began to ache with all the processing that his brain was going under. So much so that he didn't even notice that the door open. He jumped at the sudden tap to his shoulder and got up to his feet to see a new woman he hadn't seen before.
The woman was, like the others he met so far, a grimmborn. One with long lavender hair that had a long black streak running down the left side of her hair. She had on a matching light purple sundress that fell to her knees with a short dark purple jacket and a pair of black flats. The tall woman gave off a feeling of a caring person who was currently giving an apologetic look to him.
"Oh dear, I am sorry young Kor." The woman bowed in apology as his sudden behavior. "I should have given you more of a notice that I had entered the room. Goodness me you must be so confused right now, especially after having slept for five months straight."
Five months…? "Wh-Who are you and how do you know my name!?"
The woman looked taken aback by the aggressive question but sighed and waved for him to follow. "Grab your belongings and follow me. Master Xavok sent me to get you. I assure you that all questions you have will be answered by my Master."
There was no telling if what she was saying had any bearing of truth to it. A trap it could be but an honest statement was another possibility. The woman had no weapons to speak of on her and appeared to be dressed casually. Which was another warning bell as to why someone would send an unarmed woman to get a teenager who had a sword sitting in the corner of the room. There was more to this woman than what appeared at face value so it was better to play it safe and not start conflict. Kor nodded his head and put on his coat. With his sword fastened in the hook he made for it on his belt, the young boy followed the older woman down the stairway.
Finally being able to move past the guards allowed Kor to see the hall in full. It was structured like a castle of ancient times with stone carvings and etchings on the walls. Intricate tapestries and rugs of silks and fine cloth decorated the floors and walls all around them. There was a grand stairway in the center of the hall that branched left and right to the higher floors of the castle and rose even higher. He was yanked quite literally from his viewing by the grimmborn woman who gave him a stern poke to the nose.
"I know this place looks wonderful but do not get distracted young Kor. We cannot dawdle any longer." Kor grumbled in response but moved under the woman's grasp. Conflict was the last thing he needed right now.
The two of them took to the door behind the grand stairway and made their way into a large room that housed a table that took up most of the space. In the seats that occupied the table there were many faces he had never seen before.
A boy who looked utterly terrified at the sudden arrival of him.
A woman with decayed skin that stank of death.
A grinning light red haired man who was eyeing him up and down.
A man who sat at the center end of the room with spiked hair similar to Kor's own.
And there were two that he recognized amongst all the unfamiliarity.
The girl Zelia who gave him a passing look before refocusing on the man at the center. And also…
"YOU!"
The other members in the room jumped in surprise when Kor jumped onto the table. He pulled out his sword and ran straight at Sorid who moved out of his seat to dodge the stab coming for his head. "Kor, control yourself! What has gotten into you!?"
"Where am I? Why am I here!? Why did you kidnap me!?" The teen barked out, snarling threateningly at his teacher. "Tell me now or I'm gonna kill you!"
The man in the center of the room who hadn't moved with Kor's outburst raised a hand to the woman who guided the boy here and pointed downwards. The woman nodded her head in understanding, her eyes flashing with a purple glow for a moment before Kor was suddenly forced into the stone floor.
The feeling of a crushing weight that threatened to break his spine fell upon him so suddenly that he fell through the wood of the table. He snarled while struggling to get up from the pressure being forced upon his body, his eyes never leaving Sorid's nervous gaze. The woman felt her breath caught in her throat when she saw Kor move upwards from the pressure of her ability. Looking past the boy she returned her gaze to the man at the head of the table who nodded at her again.
Kor pushed himself back onto his two feet in defiance of the pressure on his body. It was difficult for him but he moved his sword holding hand back to attempt at another thrust at Sorid. But the movement was cut off by a harder increase in the pressure on his body. The grimmborn smashed face first into the stone floor making cracks appear on it from how hard the invisible force was pushing him down. The sword clattered on the ground, leaving the loosened grip of Kor's hand and sliding to the wall behind Sorid.
Feral growling came out the throat of the teen struggling on the ground which made everyone back up a step or two. Sorid felt himself press up against the wall once Kor looked directly at him while slowly getting up from his pinned down position. The third eye under his left side stared into the depths of the man's entire being until it was forced down once again by an increase in pressure.
No matter how much pressure was applied to the boy, his rage seemed to allow him to get back up every time. The woman was growing concerned that she might hurt the new arrival and give off a bad impression to him. And after all the work their lady had done to get him here. From behind the room of grimmborn, the door open making all eyes turn wide at the person entering the room. The pressure immediately vanished from Kor's body which made him able to reach his claws for Sorid's throat. But seeing as how everyone was distracted in the other direction made the black claws stop at an inch near his teacher's neck. Kor turned around to see what the big deal was with everyone moving to bow down.
At the doorway was a beautiful woman who was dressed in a black church gown with flowing ebony hair that had a soft red streak going down it as it piled down on the ground. Her eyes were closed but moved her head around as if she was looking at everyone in the room.
"My, my. What's with all of this mess?" The new woman asked, making the grimmborn press their heads further into the ground. "I hear that the boy has finally woken and this is what I am greeted with?"
Sorid rose up from his bowing position to kneel before her. "M-My apologizes Lady Alter! The boy misunderstood the situation and reacted negatively! I should have known this and waited for you before entering!"
The others began muttering similar agreements to Sorid's statement which made Kor all the more confused? Was this 'Lady Alter' truly that fearful that they turned into little children in front of her. He stepped forward in curiosity to this woman but took a step back when every single pair of eyes all focused in on him. The woman nearby him, the one that smelt of death, forced him onto his knees. Kor wanted to reach out and punch this woman for pushing him around like that but a soft chuckling from Alter eased any tension in the room.
"All of you please stand up. We have some introductions to be had for our new guest in this wonderful land." All stood up from their bowing and turned to the young boy. "Allow me to start. Hello young Kor, I am Alter. A grimmborn like you and one who is held to a high respect here." Her graceful introduction was complimented by a soft curtsy.
Sorid coughed into his hands as he stood a bit away to avoid another outburst from his student. "Well now, I'm sure you remember my name but I shall give a proper greeting. My name is Sorid Everheart. A man devoted to our kingdom in the shadows."
"Zelia Magnus the grimmborn of fire." The first person he met in the new land said with raised hand. "Since you lived in the human's world, I think you may have heard about me and what I did under Cinder's command."
"L-Levi Joules… Grimmborn of l-lightning…" The youngest boy softly greeted under his breath.
The woman who smelled terrible pulled Kor in close and gave him a pat to the head. "Sorry about before kiddo! The name's Scarmiglione but you can call me Scarm."
The splattering of blood hitting the floor caught everyone's attention. All were shocked to see Kor pierced his hand into Scarmiglione's stomach and was twisting it in deeper while the victim looked on with annoyance. Picking up the boy by his head, the hand slid out from her insides coated with blood. "Word of advice kid. That stuff doesn't kill me so you're really gonna get it if you try that again."
"Shut up! You think I'm gonna play nice with someone who tortures my friends!?"
"Friend? You… Oh. Oh! Ohohohoho! You're friends with Arc!?" Scarm began hysterically laughing as she dropped the new arrival on his rear. "Oh man this is just my luck! We're gonna have a lot to talk about kiddo!" A cough from Alter made the zombie cease her laughter and pick up Kor from the ground who slapped her hands away once he was up.
The more motherly looking grimmborn gave a small curtsy to Kor as she continued proceedings. "Hello young Kor. My name is Phantasma Grav and it is a pleasure to see you awake and well."
The one grimmborn with the wild hairstyle gave a thumbs up with a toothy grin. "Mijinion Refinite. The pleasure is all yours I'm sure."
"Humble." Kor rolled his eyes hard at the ego in the man's demeanor.
"Xavok Angar." The man at the center said simply.
The woman who casually demanded the attention of everyone smiled at her people and clapped her hands to gather focus. "Now that everyone is introduced to Kor, we must begin our tour of the new place you will call home."
Kor wanted to protest at being unknowingly kidnapped and being ignored of his queries but the pushing of all the others gave no room for his voice until they exited the front door of the castle like building which gave way for a location Kor had never seen before.
Like his view from the room he was in, the city was vast in the building that were scattered around with shops and people moving about. All of whom were grimmborn or Grimm in some way or form. Neon signs and shining stones all around demanded attention for various wares and good. The whole place seemed to be some sort of dark equivalent to Vale in a lot of ways. As Alter made her way into the street from the front walkway of the castle the streets grew silent. All bowed to her as if she was some sort of worshipped being to be revered.
Kor watched the woman as the allowed all of the people to stand and go about their business. Something about her emphasized grace and a mysterious temperament that made the people all willing to bow to her. Others looked at her in admiration, others in fear but Kor couldn't explain what he felt looking at her. But seeing her smile made something in the depths of chest twist. She turned around to the group of grimmborn and gave another curtsy to their new guest.
"Kor Kunzite from the human world. I welcome you to the capital city of The Nexus; Goetia. I hope you will find this new home to be a good one."
Ruby jumped forward as she gasped herself awake. The light shining in her eyes blinding her for a quick moment as they adjusted to her surroundings. She looked around seeing a clearing around her with the city of Mistral in the distance. Not knowing why she was just lying around the grass outside the safety of the city, she simply jumped onto her feet and began running.
Her Semblance allowed the hooded girl to reach the gates of the city within seconds. She quickly waved to the guards with a smile and bolted down to where she was staying with the rest of Team RNJR. Ruby looked around town seeing the numerous people move about their business which brought a feeling of happiness inside her chest. These people unaffected by the horrors of war and living their lives to the fullest. Turning the corner, Ruby came face to face with the large hotel they were resting at and moved to open the door. With the feeling of her fingers grazing the doorknob came a burning sensation that made her recoil her hand.
The screams out many people that erupted at the sudden explosion of a building made Ruby turn around. She was horrified at the carnage that was besieging the city at hand. Buildings around her began to collapse and lightning streaked across the sky in destructive arcs that tore through people and structures alike.
Her cries of fear were swallowed by the yells from the surviving humans that kept fleeing through the streets in a mad dash for survival. Ruby grit her teeth after seeing another bolt tear into another group of people. She had to find whatever source was causing these disaster and stop it before more damage could be done. The red hooded girl dashed past the crowd, maneuvering past the wicked bolts of lighting and falling debris. A flourish from Crescent Rose destroyed all the stood in her way until she came to a clearing in the entertainment district.
Coming to a full stop Ruby found what she assumed was the source of this madness terrorizing the city. Eight hooded figures stood eerily still, all of them staring right in her direction with unreadable faces.
"Are you the ones doing this!? Why!? What are you gaining out of doing this!? The Grimm will tear this place apart if this keeps up!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.
One of the hooded figures nodded their head at the young girl to acknowledge her screams of distress and waved their left hand up. At the signal a huge shadow cloaked the area in a near pitch black darkness which made Ruby hold her weapon all the tighter. Quakes shook the ground full force with something behind her hitting the area from the sky. Ruby had wished she hadn't turned around to see the cause as it only made her drop her weapon and fall to her knees in disbelief.
A massive pile of black sludge began forming up high into the sky, not stopping until it dwarfed every remaining building in the area.
"No…"
The pile began to take shape into a reptilian form that sprouted long wings and two forward facing horns.
"No."
Six eyes with scarlet red pupils opened up and stared viciously into the poor girl's soul.
"No!"
A crimson smile stretched along the mouth of the fully formed dragon.
"NO!"
The dragon bellowed in rage once it had finished it's formation and dove head first at Ruby's defenseless body. Her screams of pain and fear being engulfed by the pitch blackness of the demon's mouth.
"A-Aah!"
With a start Ruby awoke from her fitful slumber in her room. Looking around everyone she was traveling with was still there. Jaune, Ren and Nora were resting in their own beds, snoring softly. The short haired girl shook her head quickly and moved out of her blankets. She quietly strode into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her before splashing some water in her face.
'It's just a dream Ruby. The drago- … Kor isn't around to hurt anyone.'
The past five nights had been nothing but terrible sleep for her ever since the nightmares set in. The thought of Kor being on the loose in that dragon form they encountered the night of the disaster. Of him terrorizing some far off place with no one to stop him or worse tortured her to no end. With the fall of the CTT, there was no way to know if anyone had been under attack recently by the Grimm or anything else for that matter. NIght terrors of people she loved being hurt from the one thing she couldn't stop tormented her every time she closed her eyes.
'Weiss. Please, I hope you're safe with Zelia on the loose. Blake and Yang, be safe too.' She squeezed her hands tightly and hoped with all her might that nothing would happen to them while she journeyed to Mistral.
Too many questions were abound ever since the fall of Beacon. Why were the grimmborn working with Cinder, how is she connected to Mistral? What stake did the White Fang have in all of this and who was it that fought Kor the night he transformed? Qrow wasn't willing to answer much before she left and her father was just as stumped as her. Three threats to worry about with the world on the brink of war about such a great time of peace. Mulling the whys and hows wouldn't do her any good she figured. It was best to just head to a civilization not under peril and get some answers there.
Ruby sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. If these nightmares kept up, then those bags under her eyes might get noticed by her friends. Looking at the clock in the room she had another five or so hours before they were supposed to get up and head out back to the road. Moving back to bed Ruby gave a soft groan once her head hit the pillow and nearly dragged her into the realm of sleep again.
'Please. Please let things get better.'
Those were her silent prayers before she fell asleep once more.
Life of a Grimmborn Chapter 24: A New Dark World -End-
A/N: And that concludes that. Kor is now in Goetia and is a guest(prisoner?) under the care of Alter and Xavok's crew of grimmborn. Meanwhile Ruby's trauma of Beacon's fall involving the grimmborn are still fresh in her mind. How are the other girls of RWBY fairing with the situation and what will become of Kor in this new, unknown world? Those answers shall unfold themselves in due time. For now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and drop a review if you'd like. It's a good motivator for faster chapter uploads to see people enjoying it or have something on their minds to say, be it good or bad.
Have a nice day everyone and I hope 2018 is good to everyone!
~Deviljho's Hatred.