The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 36: Nexus
Weiss was surprised to say the least.
After a long battle between Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and her copycat "friend," and Ruby Rose, her girlfriend who seemed to have lost her memory, in a realm full of magical Gods and Goddess, Weiss thought that nothing could phase or surprise her anymore.
Then this happened.
"But of course, who else would it be? Cardin?" Ruby Rose said to... well, herself.
"Such humorous attempts to mask your identity with that of another will not move me from my defense; you have no right to interfere." The Goddess Ruby, or Ruby 1, said with a focused and fixated glare towards her counter-part.
"You'd be right; after all, I am just the distraction." Ruby number 2 said with a shrug, grinning in her usual smile, her wolf ears suddenly appearing on her head from thin air, giggling as innocent as ever.
"Distraction? You confuse m-"
Ruby 1 never finished her thought before a massive broad sword speared into the ground where she stood, moving to the left just in time to avoid collision with the blade, looking upwards.
Hovering in the air a bit a ways away, floated Orion, the God of Fate, looking as good as ever, grinning his usual grin, his trademark glasses and trench coat upon himself.
"Sup?" He said with a grin, landing next to the group, denting the roof of the structure, causing it to tilt a bit to the side. He then turned his gaze to his little sister, cowering with golden blood leaving her body. "You okay, Sister?"
"Qui... I am... I want to go home..." Aphrodite squeaked out as she crawled over near Weiss, who helped her lean on her with her only arm for support.
Orion and Ruby 2 circled Ruby 1, Crescent Rose in Ruby 2's hands, Orion pulling his broad sword from the roof, spinning the Saber in hand while Ruby 1 was weaponless.
"A trick, I now understand. I could have sworn I obliterated the God of Fate." Ruby 1 said, hands to her sides.
"Indeed, however I am an essential God, my dear girl. I can reform pretty quickly, as this one understands." He said, gesturing to the other Ruby.
"What time are you from, anomaly?" Ruby 1 said to Ruby 2, who grinned in response.
"You from the further future, about two day's time. You've lost your memories, Ruby. You need to remember." Ruby 2 said softly, trying to calm Ruby 1.
"Nonsense, my memories are much intact." Ruby 1 held firm, flashing two black spears in her hands, morphing into twin halberds, the blades tipped in crimson red, the flashing steel glowing with energy.
"Wow, was I really this annoying?" Ruby 2 said with a bit of a sigh, looking towards Orion, who simply chucked in response.
"Sadly, yes. Luckily we were able to snap you out of it. I honestly couldn't stand it if you acted like this." Orion admitted, his Saber glowing with blue energy.
Weiss simply watched in awe, the battle of two, no, three powerful Gods was about to begin, un-aware of the trap Xalveris had set.
Right before Orion could strike at Ruby 1 with Ruby 2, a cold and blood thirsty voice echoed around the land, throughout the tower.
Commander Rook emerged from the side of the building, alone, walking up towards Ruby 1, who regarded him with a seemingly confused look.
"Commander Rook, Fallen God of War... State your purpose for entering my realm of power." Ruby 1 stated coldly, seemingly annoyed at his intrusion.
"My Lady..." Rook said, seemingly forcing the words out as he knelt down in his armor, looking up at Ruby number 1. "I am... honored."
"State your being." Ruby 1 demanded once again, leveling her halberds to her sides.
"May I present to you, Goddess of Time and Space, Lord Xalveris." Rook said with a growl, standing up and stepping over to the side, allowing a dark portal to open up next to the group, just a few feet before Ruby 1.
Xalveris himself exited the portal, his ghostly black hair blowing in the wind as he adjusted his tuxedo, seemingly unharmed from being hit by Aphrodite's shield earlier. The Elder God walked up to Ruby 1, bowing to the woman in red, standing straight to address her.
"How do you fair, my dear Goddess?" Xalveris asked the Ruby before him, Orion and Ruby 2 growling at the man, weapons at the ready.
"He didn't show up in the past timeline... He shouldn't be here..." Ruby 2 said softly, loud enough for Orion to hear her confusion.
"He must be altering the timeline. We need to snap Ruby out of this..." Orion said in response, her glasses flashing with a black light.
"State your business, Uncle." Ruby 1 demanded, un-phased by the Elder Gods sudden appearance before her, weapons still lowered to her sides.
"I merely seek yourself, Lady Rose. The orders of Time and Space are threatened by these intruders." Xavleris explained to Ruby 1, gesturing to Weiss and her friends, including Ruby 2.
"I am well aware of this, Uncle." Ruby 1 said with a raised eyebrow, her eyes ticking as the clocks counted the time, her cloak blowing in the wind. "You wouldn't come here yourself just to explain the obvious."
"And you would be correct, Lady Rose. I seek your power, an alliance, in a sense. I will help you cleanse these... intruders, and bring forth peace towards the orders of Time and Space. I will help defend this tower, and all you need to do is pledge your service to me." Xalveris said with a emotionless look toward Weiss, regarding her before looking at Ruby 1 once more.
"And if I refuse?" Ruby 1 asked, noting that this was the God of Destruction, not Peace.
"I will kill everyone here. Simple as that." Xalveris said in a serious tone, smiling a little, as if he was tempting her to refuse.
"Have you forgotten that the Gods can reform?" Ruby 1 stated, her grip on her halberds tightening.
"My dear, young, Goddess... I can simply remove you from existence. Sear learned that the hard way, so I'll ask once more. Join me, or perish."
A few moments of silence passed, Weiss frozen in fear.
"Leave. Now." Ruby 1 said with no remorse, and in a sudden motion, pointed one of her halberds at the man's neck, a small warning.
Xalveris sighed aloud, frowning visibly at Ruby's refusal. "Well then... I suppose it can't be helped..."
He then turned to Commanded Rook, nodding at him as the Elder God took a few steps backwards.
"Commence the attack." Rook said seemingly to himself, talking into an ear piece implanted in his Knights helmet, yanking his flaming long sword from its sheath, pointing the blade at his Masters enemies.
As Ruby 1 poised to charge at Rook, several figures rose up from the side of the tower, getting the jump on the Goddess of Time and Space, surrounding the group. Weiss and Aphrodite moved towards Orion as the new Fallen Gods surrounded them, the trio of active Gods held firm with weapons at the ready.
"It appears we have minor issue." Ruby 1 decided after a few moments of silence, her black halberds in hand.
"Indeed." Orion said, his Saber glowing with energy once more, ready to do battle.
"Three against a dozen, this should be interesting." Ruby 2 said with a grin, her sniper-scythe in hand, loading in cartage.
"Hold firm, anomaly. We cannot allow this tower to be captured, nor destroyed." Ruby 1 said with little to no emotion at all, aside from very minor determination.
"Ruby," Orion said quickly to Ruby 1, who was wielding her twin halberds. "Once this is settled, you need to hear us out."
"Perhaps, but this spire will remain, regardless of what waits after this duel." Ruby 1 said simply, deciding it would be best to be addressing the larger threat before tackling the lesser ones, such as Orion and Aphrodite.
"Girls, it has been an honor." Orion said, spinning the Saber in hand before the Fallen Gods charged, the battle erupting in a clash of steel and raw energy...
Meanwhile
Remnant
White Fang Base
Fort Scatter
1:21 AM
"Again." Touko said with no emotion, the White Fang torturer beside her once again striking Geist Schnee in the gut with his fist, causing the older man to cough violently, spitting out a bit of blood.
"Monsters..." Geist muttered under his breath, looking at the blackened floor below him.
"We can keep this going forever, Mister Schnee. It ends when you want it to: once we get what we need." Touko said semi softly to the older man, cupping his face gently before smacking him aside the head, taking a few steps back from the chained Schnee.
Geist was chained to the wall behind him, his arms in shackles over his head as his body hung below, feet barely touching the floor, drops of blood running down his white suit.
"Never..." Geist managed out as the White Fang torturer hit him once more, Geist groaning in pain.
"Saturn Laos spoke of a time when you two were partners, scientists in a sense. We want your research. We want the Dust Data you gathered, the Dust Composition Alignment Data." Touko demanded, the torturer waiting for an order.
"Bite me..." Geist retorted, weakly spitting in her face. "You made a mistake kidnapping me. My family will locate me..."
"Ah... Yes. Your tracker?" Touko said, laughing to herself as Geists expression fell, a distant pain echoing in his head. "The small device implanted in your skull? We had quite the experience removing it. I assure you, Mister Schnee, no one knows where you are. We sent a message from your personal Scroll, telling your family that you have a few meetings that will put you off the grid for quite some time, dear Geist..."
Touko turned to walk away, moving towards the door. "Knock him out. We continue tomorrow."
And with that, Geist felt a fist hit his face, and suddenly lost feeling, falling into a deep sleep...
Horizon of Life
Spire
Kryata
1:44 AM
"Watch your left!"
"Anomaly, duck now!"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Girls! Argue later!"
The trio of Orion and the two Rubies sliced left and right as the small collective of Fallen Gods pressed on, closing in on the small circle they formed around Weiss and the harmed Aphrodite, deflecting blasts of energy and clashes of steel as they swung their respected weapons, struggling to defend.
Commander Rook stood a few feet away, standing beside his master, Xalveris, who was rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
"I would have thought they would have tired out by now. These ones seem to surprise me every time we meet." Xalveris noted, continuing his thoughtful stoking of his chin, humming a tad as Rook growled at his defending enemies.
"My master... Allow me to battle." Commander Rook asked to his Master, kneeling under his presence.
"In good time. I feel we have a few more surprises left in store from our dear friends." Xalveris said, arms clasped now behind his back.
Orion clashed blades with one of the Fallen Gods, slicing their blade in half sending them stumbling back, allowing Orion to press his attacks further, activating his Saber, swinging it, and sending a blast towards a group of Fallen Gods.
Meanwhile, Rubys 1 and 2 savagely attacked in clean cut arcs, slashing through the Fallen Gods weapons and armor as if they were butter.
Alas, things weren't going as planned.
The Fallen Gods slowly forced the group of three Gods back, the Fallen Gods that the trio had managed to knock back had returned with larger and more powerful weapons, flashes of steel sparking across the rooftop.
"Running out of ideas! Orion, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruby 2 said with a growl as a Fallen God managed to jab at her with a green spear, cutting through her right shoulder, golden blood running like a river from the wound.
"Plan G?" Orion asked, seemingly baffled at the idea.
"Plan G." The regular Ruby confirmed, spinning her scythe into its gun mode, ducking under a swipe of a sword.
Orion bit his lip, clearing his throat, and held his lips together, letting out a loud, constant whistle.
A harsh roar replied to the sharp sound, the group of Gods on the roof all pausing in a mix of confusion and fear, a few Fallen Gods taking a few steps back.
"What's happening? What's Plan G?!" Weiss demanded out of fear, dodging a beam of energy.
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
A fearsome roar shook the tower, the Fallen Gods growing nervous, backing off from the circle. Even Xalveris seemed worried, adjusting his tie upon his tuxedo, frowning.
"Rook, explain that sound." Xalveris asked his prized Commander, who grunted in response.
"Not sure, my lord..." Commander Rook managed out, his flaming sword in hand, prepared to guard his master.
Suddenly, a massive, scaled claw gripped a portion of the roof, followed by a second claw. The claws were huge, ten times the size of Ruby herself, pure black in texture, the scales upon the clawed hands shining in the light, contrasting with the white lizard-like hands connected to the claws, which were even larger than the claws themselves. Whatever was on the other end seemed to be climbing the structure, much to Ruby 1's discomfort.
"What is that?!" Weiss said with a gulp of fear, scooting back with Aphrodite, who seemed equally as scared.
"That? That is the God and King of Beasts. That is Grimmlock." Orion said with a wicked grin as the beast climbed up the structure.
A massive pure white dragon pulled itself upon the roof, its wings upon its back full of cuts and gaps, showing signs of centuries of conflicts. Its ebony black claws flashed with vile and murderous intent, ready to tear its prey apart. Its face was cut up, covered in scars, wearing a timeless look on its face. The beasts menacing blood red eyes glared into the eyes of the Fallen Gods, miniature orange explosions occupying the pupil of the beast's orbs.
"Grimmlock, it's been too long. We should catch up afterwards; I have some people who want to meet you." Orion said happily to the King of Beasts, who roared in response. "But first..."
Xalveris took a small step backwards, clearing his throat a bit as his honor guard looked to him for guidance.
"Well then, we seemed to have miscalculated our attack..." The Elder God said with an awkward cough.
"Grimmlock, attack." Orion said with a nod towards his uncle.
And with that, the monstrous dragon Grimmlock let out a roar, and charged.
Remnant
Shrine of Harmony
Atlas
The Shrine of Harmony, one of the last surviving monasteries of early Man, a relic... a home.
A lone monk tended to the tower each day, watering the various vegetation around the structure, repairing rotten wood and aging stone with newer versions.
His only home was this tower, his only family gone. Many have visited the tower to honor or slander the names of the "False Gods" of Remnant, which Feng, the monk, held close to his heart. The Gods were his life, and he was theirs.
Unlike many religious monks across the world, Feng believed strongly in the higher beings. Many praised Dust as their Gods, which he simply frowned at the idea.
All his life he waited for a sign for his true purpose, never asking for anything aside from it. All he wanted was a reason to live...
"Beacon..." A low and quiet voice echoed across the tower, the air growing heavy, pausing Feng in his daily duties.
"The Gods have spoken..." Feng said aloud to himself, his short black hair covering a section of his left eye, his navy blue tunic fluttering a bit.
The lone monk looked out to the distant sea, the oceans waves seemingly calling his name with every splash.
"Yes, my masters... I am yours to guide and command." Feng said with a deep breath, grabbing his few belongings, and making his way down the structure.
A/N: This OC, Feng and Morris are both owned by The Assassin's mentor, and now we only have one left until the grand intro of the 8th! Yay!
Also, sorry I have been gone so long… I've been VERY depressed lately, still am a little bit, but I'm making progress. Took a vacation, just got home and thought I'd post.
See ya, also thanks for the 200 followers! That's amazing!
Was thinking of making a wiki page or a TV Trope section for this story specifically, show the family tree of the Gods, sections for each character and their AU personalities, time line of the story and the events, all that good stuff. If you would like to help me make this a thing, I would owe you one… not much of a reason to help, huh? … yeah… well, if you want to help, shoot me a PM or review.
See ya again…