START OF CHAPTER THIRTY
In a barn, Mistral...
Oscar Pine stifled his breath in his throat, gloved hands clutching onto the chain at his side that was pulled taught. Sweat clung to his forehead, and tears waited in their hammocks as the barn door creaked open, the footfalls of death following quickly. He let the chain go, the tractor falling like a rock to land on top of the star creature, burying it in a metal tomb. Oscar let out a breath, collapsing to the floor as the tears rolled down. His family, his home, slaughtered like cattle. Nothing was left for him now, just-
The floor beneath him burst, his breath halting as bone shards tore through his chest and left him a shuddering wreck on the upper loft of the barn. The pain crushed his chest like a hammer, threatening to send him into darkness as warmth filled his chest. Blood filled his lungs, drowning him in the red. Wait...he should be dead. Why wasn't he? Oscar looked down at his chest, holes where his heart should be. But what filled the holes wasn't blood, but black space, shining in his chest. He threw himself over the side as bones burst through the floor, wood filling the air as he dropped and rolled. The young boy threw himself behind the wreck of the tractor, breath coming hard and fast as growls filled the air.
The brunette peeked around the corner, his eyes flitting around before he threw himself back, a femur impaling the floor in front of him. He stared hard at the creature before him, hate and fear mixing together as Oscar looked around for something, anything to improve his chances of survival. He spotted a pitchfork in the corner by the haystacks, and sprang for it. The creature buried it's femur in his left leg, pinning him to the floor. He struggled before another bone tore through his skull, ending his cries as his jaw snapped shut. Oscar's fingers twitched around the pitchfork's handle, gripping it before the young man spun on to his back, bone tearing through his face and leaving an abyss in it's place as Oscar drove the pitchfork through the creature's breastplate, pinning it to the tractor and causing a rusted metal rod to fall from it's belt loop. He stood up as the creature grappled with the pitchfork's handle, growling as it tried to get free before Oscar knelt and took the metal rod from the floor and swung it hard at the creature's face. Ichor sprayed the barn walls, the creature's head a crumpled mess of scarred and distorted flesh and bone.
He raised the rod high and swung down with all his strength, pushing a line down the creature's chest before the rod was caught in a mass of metal and flesh. He tore the rod out sideways, spattering the monster's guts across the barn and almost tearing the Und Tiemer in half, his breath coming heavy as he whipped the rod free of gore. The young boy took hold of the monster's leg and tore it off of the tractor, dragging it with him as he walked back to the wreck that was his aunt's house. Oscar left the creature outside as he walked back inside. Tears sprang up in his eyes as he traced over torn sofas and Swiss cheese walls, blood dripping from the far-most wall in the kitchen. His eyes lingered on the blood, and the hole in the wall. He closed his eyes and gave a shuddering sigh, putting the metal rod in one of his belt loops and walking upstairs to his room. The door was still open, a sign of the horrors that had taken place not even thirty minutes before.
Oscar took a step inside, his bedroom tidy in spots and messy in others, not that different from other teenage boys' rooms. He walked to his dresser and started packing clothes and utilities that he would need for the trip ahead. He wasn't even sure where to go, except far away from this...place. It was a tomb now. A wreck of a shell of a home. Oscar crossed from his bedroom to the bathroom, backpack in hand and rod clinking as it bounced off the floor. He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the lights, a makeup kit on the bathroom counter. His aunt's. She always loved dressing up before going into town. He stomached the memory and looked in the mirror.
He didn't recognize himself. A blank stare echoed back at him, from his sole remaining eye. The rest of his face was a swirling black mass that barely resembled a face. He lifted his arms, cuts in them, filled with the same blackness. He should be dead by all accounts, and yet... here he was. Alive, but changed. What was he now? Oscar brushed the thought aside and left the room, turning off the light as he grabbed the vanilla-scented candle and walked downstairs to the kitchen, ignoring the scattered wreck on the floor. The sound and smell of dripping blood thundered in his ears as he gathered up canned vegetables and bottles of water, putting them in a canvas bag and hauling it onto his shoulder, walking past the pool of blood on the floor and out the front door to the garage where his aunt's motorcycle rested.
Oscar planted the bag in the sidecar, taking the dust can and pouring some of it in the tank until it was full. He went back to the kitchen and took the dust crystals from underneath the stove, grinding them up with the metal rod and pouring them into the dust can. He gave one last look around the house before kneeling down, taking a scrap from his aunt's skirt and tying it in a patch around his face, covering the darkness where his face should have been. Oscar took a match from the counter and lit it with the candle, flinging it onto the wood floor and walking out, gathering the latest crop and putting it into another canvas bag. He stacked it on top of the first bag in the sidecar, hopping onto the motorcycle and starting it.
"Let's get out of here." He muttered, starting the engine and heading off into town, the house crumbling behind him as he took off into the forest. He didn't notice the white mountain of a man standing in front of the house, his featureless face on his departing bike.
"You have your plans Aezeroyth. I have mine." Sinderra stated aloud, for all the trees and smoke to hear. It didn't matter. The world would burn soon enough.
Above the East Ocean...
I blink and an hour passes by. Funny how that happens when the world is ending.
I got up from my spot next to Iota's frozen form, giving her a kiss on the cheek before setting off into Sanctuary. My characters wore bleak and battered faces; not that surprising given the state of the world.
"Ariad, any radio signals?" I asked, walking into the cockpit of Sanctuary. The lynx faunus looked back at me, her features dim but hopeful.
"A bunch of military signals, some SOSes, and a lot of distress calls. People looking for help." She replied, her feet kicked up on the center console as she sat in Brafez's lap.
"Anything else?"
"Got an inquiry from a Miss Fall on her mission status." Brafez stated, tossing me a recording. I grabbed it, reading the currents of Dark that comprised the message.
'Salem? Are you there? I'm ready to hit Vacuo's CCT. I await your commands.'
I mused over the message, before a small smile crept its' way up my face.
"Brafez, when was this sent?"
"A few minutes ago. Want to send a strike team?"
"Yeah, I do. Call Welsha and Brutus to the cabin."
"Brutus? You sure about that?" The bluenette inquired, worry in his features. He was probably wondering if I had gone insane.
"Yes, Brutus."
In Vacuo, the CCT...
Cinder Fall was getting anxious. Salem was generally pretty particular when it came to times. Emerald hung at her side like a puppet, while Mercury leaned against the tower's support structure. She shook her head, glancing at the surrounding desert. Nothing would be catching them off guard; they had an open line of sight in a 360 degree radius.
"Mercury, are the charges set?" She asked, her voice a snuffed spark.
"Yes boss, they're set. Same answer I gave five minutes ago." The silver haired amputee replied, tapping his metal feet against the floor. Cinder sighed, a flame in her throat as Emerald walked closer.
"Yes?"
"Are you sure nothing happened to Salem? Those special forces were getting pretty close to her fortress the last time we checked."
"A couple hundred humans and two changelings wouldn't pose a threat to Salem. It would take a lot to put her down for good." She stated, drawing the Seer closer and trying to contact her mistress again. "Salem? Are you there?"
She growled and her left eye caught fire.
"Salem, are you-"
A spear made of bone cut through the Seer's "head", spearing it to the floor.
"Get down!" Cinder growled, running to the tower and hiding in it's shadow, Emerald and Mercury doing the same. She summoned her bow and arrow, looking around before a shadow dropped from the sky and shook the earth. Emerald and Mercury opened fire with their sidearms and legs, blanketing the area in smoke and dust before Cinder held up her hand, drawing an arrow back as she waited for the smoke to clear.
"You missed!" A voice called out, sass filling the air. Cinder growled, letting an arrow loose into the smoke and waiting. A few seconds later it flew back, missing her head by centimeters. "That was closer, but you still missed."
"Mercury, clear the air." She commanded, the silver haired assassin nodding and sucking the smokescreen back into his legs. What stood in it's place was a tall, lanky orange haired man, with one arm covered in alabaster bone, the other robotic. He wore an orange polo with a set of pouches running diagonally down it's length, and below that cargo pants that had knee and shin guards on the legs. She saw the bone spear in his hand. That was odd, she hadn't noticed it moved. His eyes looked off, like they had a red sheen to them, and his hair had black roots.
"Howdy!" The man called out, a ceaseless smirk on his features. It reminded her of someone... "Hope I'm not interrupting your plans of world domination."
"Actually, you are, so how about you turn around!" Mercury responded, stepping out of cover. Cinder frowned; how much of their plans did he know?
"Well I'm sorry to tell you all, but I've come to kill you. So, would you do me a favor..." They didn't give him the chance to finish, striking him. When the smoke cleared they were shocked to see him blocking their attacks with one hand, the spear in their way. "Now that's not very nice."
"This one's talkative." Mercury stated, calmly walking out of cover and over to the man. "What's your name?"
"Brutus. Brutus Rasputin. Happy to kill ya."
"Oh yeah? Then you'll be sorely disappointed." The rust haired warrior smiled at the statement.
"Is that so?" He inquired, before catching Mercury's kick to his forehead with his bone-covered hand and a smile. "You're fast on your feet."
"What?!"
"Not so much without them." Brutus replied with a sadistic smile, his hand snapping outwards with the force of a freight train, breaking the assassin's Aura before he followed up with a fist to his throat and a leg sweep that put him to the floor. Brutus sighed, stepping on the assassin's groin and grabbing his heels. "I thought you'd be more fun. Shame." With that said, Brutus tore off the assassin's legs, his screams swallowed up by the sand as his smirk was torn off with his legs. Brutus tisked, planting his spear through the silver haired man's stomach and spine, ending his cries with deafening silence. He tore it back out, Mercury's guts splaying out on the ground as Brutus twirled his spear like a baton, a smile on his face.
"Dust in heaven..." Emerald muttered. Cinder frowned, both equally disturbed and frustrated. This "Brutus" had surely just gotten lucky. A misstep on Mercury's part, not through the stranger's hand.
"What do you want?" Cinder asked, a flame sparking to life in her hands.
"Ah, didn't realize I'd be killing another Maiden." Brutus responded with that damnable smirk. Cinder stepped back, glass weapons forming in her hands. So he must be one of Ozpin's lackey's. "And no I ain't one of Ozpin's lackeys. I'm my own man."
How did he know she thought that?
"More like a monster!" Emerald replied. Brutus stared at her, his eyes cold and leveled.
"That may be true. I have killed a few races now that I think about it. But don't go fooling yourself girl, you're just as much of a monster as me." Brutus replied, his voice cold and hard. His spear was gone, his arms tense.
"Mercury isn't even dead! You just left him to rot on the sidewalk!"
"Also true. But for bastards as evil as us, that's all we deserve."
"Quiet!" Cinder screamed, her feet a few inches off the ground.
"Ah, so the queen bitch has something to say?" Brutus asked aloud, a smile ringing the edges of his face like lava pouring down the side of a volcano. The man with the molten-smile raised his arms up, cracks forming in the ground. Light poured out, steadily trailed by molten lava that curled upwards. "Well, say something!"
Cinder didn't respond, sending forward a blast of ice as Brutus smiled at her. He howled like a rabid dog, lava melting the ice as he jumped at them, a molten mass of rage and wrath.
"Emerald, stay off to the side! Use your semblance!" Cinder demanded, dodging a molten ball of fire as Brutus threw it. He landed hard, the ground curling up as he rushed her, lava gathered in his hands. She caught one ball of fire and threw it back at him, the manic man curling like a snake around it and burning up the air between them. She threw lightning and ice and earth at the firebender, all of them being dodged or redirected with ease.
"Emerald!"
"It's not working on him!" The illusionist cried, before a gunshot rang out. Brutus stood, the smile lighting up as Emerald fell to the floor, a hole in her side. He dodged Cinder's retaliation and Emerald's sickles and fired once more, putting a graphene round in the green haired woman's kidneys. She cried out in pain, Brutus pumping his arm and causing a shell to fly out of the intricate device, the barrel retracting into his wrist.
"Now it's just you and me! Show me what you got!" Brutus roared, the ground parting as lava poured out like an ocean to surround the manic Alter. Cinder gritted her teeth, flying up and trying to freeze his molten form. She threw herself to the side, dodging attack after cheap, dirty attack until she had her opening.
"You want to fight like an animal! Then die like one!" She cried, letting loose a hail of elements that blotted out the sky. Brutus laughed aloud, flinging most of it away, but a lightning bolt pierced his molten form. She huffed, before the lightning bolt flew back at her, striking her chest and throwing her into the CCT's spire.
"Nice try! But you'll have to do more than a few cheap circus tricks to put me down!" Brutus stated, walking out of his molten golem and throwing his hands up in a smile. Cinder roared, throwing a wave of ice at him from her perch. He held up his hand, a transparent shield turning the ice storm to splinters. She threw leaves and he burned them up, laughing as he did it. "Is this all the great Cinder Fall has to offer!?"
"Just shut up and die already!" Cinder boomed, rushing forward as she threw all of her Maiden powers at him. He redirected, manipulated, and shrugged off whatever she threw at him, and when she tried to use her blades he simply shattered them in his hands. She threw forward a blast of ice and earth, blocking his vision as she summoned a spectacularly large blade of ice and swung it downwards with all her strength, summoning ice spikes all around the beast of a man to hit him when he was least expecting it. She cut through the ice, Brutus' eyes thin as he caught the blade in his hands, the act shattering his Aura and leaving him unable to stop the ice spikes from boring through his body.
"Heh. You almost won. A few inches back and you would have torn me in half." Brutus stated, black ichor staining his lips. Cinder screamed and hefted her blade back, bringing it down in an effort to end the bastard that stood before her. Brutus smiled, catching the half-Maiden off-guard. The former-Exterminator brought up his arm, the blade of ice shattering in half as it struck the bone-plated limb. He grabbed her before she could react, his plated hand around her neck as the ice shards piercing him shattered as well. He slammed her twice into the ground, her vision going blurry as he struck her in the liver with his robotic arm, a burning feeling starting in her gut..
"What the hell are you?" She whimpered, hands tightly wrapped around his wrist. Brutus sighed, bringing her closer, his wounds slowly healing. She took advantage of his misstep and dug a glass dagger through his skull, the tip pointing out the other side. He staggered, dropping her. She rose, blasting the stunned man with everything at her disposal, enough to where she couldn't see in front of her anymore. Cinder lowered her hands, her palms blackened by the extreme use of her power. A tap on her shoulder had her freezing in place before a robotic fist crashed into her face and sent her spinning through the air.
"You missed." Brutus stated, his teeth warped into a smile. She raised her hands to blast him again before his bone-arm dug into her right arm, the pain sending her world spinning. Gore drenched the ground as he tore the Grimm parasite inside of her out through her arm, Cinder going limp as pain overwhelmed her. "Hey there buddy." Brutus said, holding the parasite by the neck, it's eyes burning bright with half of the Maidens' power. He didn't stall, and tore the Grimm in half, the Maiden power flying off into the sky to join with it's other half. Brutus looked down at the unconscious Cinder, his hands going tight before a scream tore through the air. He spun around, Emerald struggling to stand.
"You bastard!" She cried, her sickles up and aiming.
"My mother was a lovely woman!" Brutus stated, his shield up and blocking the dust rounds as they came. He tore the glass dagger out of his skull and threw it, catching the advancing woman in the shoulder. "You want to know why you can't use your semblance on me?"
"I don't care!" Emerald cried, whipping her chain-sickles at him. Brutus caught them with his bone-arm, whipping them backwards and throwing Emerald to the ground. He dragged her across the ground by her sickles, flipping her over and planting a spiked boot on her chest, metal duds digging into her breasts.
"None so blind as those who see," Brutus whispered, bending down and cupping the illusionist's cheek. He wore a mad smile drenched in lust.
"And those who make others see have never been so blind."
"No! Please no! Don't!" She cried, trying to twist her head as Brutus held her stone-solid, his other gloved hand reaching for her eyes.
"That's the price in this business! Now pay up!" Brutus roared, snatching out one eye with brutish force. Emeralds screams were sweet to his ears, so much so that he thought his teeth would rot. He stomped on her chest, and from what he could hear, he had broken a few ribs. The manic monster snatched out her other eye and threw them away, a noise catching his attention. He turned to see Cinder waking up and struggling to move, her right arm lifeless. "I'm glad to see one is still left."
"You...You monster. What did you do? What did you do!?"
"That precious power you hold so dear? I took it from you." Brutus replied, crushing Emerald's kneecap as he stepped off of her, walking towards the former-Maiden, spear in hand. "Those who are powerful don't crawl for it. They simply are. To walk into a room and turn blood to ice. To rend entire continents down to ash! You have never known true power!"
"Teach me!" Cinder demanded, rising to her feet.
"It is not taught," Brutus responded in kind, his voice turning soft. His lips went thin, his heart heavy. He felt pity for the former-Maiden. She simply didn't have what it took for true power. He barely did at times. His eyes had lost their red sheen, and his hair was free of black. "It is a curse."
"Power is not a curse. It is a gift." The fiery temptress spat back, struggling to stand.
"A gift? No. It is no gift. What did we give up for this power? This promise? Are we even human anymore?"
"What good is there in being human?"
Brutus sighed, taking the spear and walking until he stood in front of Cinder, his hands tight and his visage sad. Cinder glared at him, trying to understand why he held back, why she wasn't dead. He gave a sad, soft smile and pulled out a flare gun, pointing it towards the sky.
"For once in your life, take some responsibility." He stated, pulling the trigger. The sky lit up orange as he pushed another flare into the gun and aimed it at Cinder's leg. She lunged for him in a feeble attempt at retaliation, and he pulled the trigger, making Cinder's leg a burning stump as the bottom half flew away and she collapsed to the floor.
"Are you going to kill us?" She uttered, too battered and broken to stare up at him.
"The Vacuoan Militia might, if you're lucky. But you haven't been lucky so far, so I wouldn't expect a quick and painless death."
"You'd leave us to those monsters?"
"Ironic, ain't it," Brutus said with a smirk, leaning down to look Cinder in the eyes. "Back where I come from, I had a name. I don't have that name anymore here. But the guilt...still haunts me. That is why I have this power. Why Emerald couldn't make me see. Anything I thought of would be worse than your wildest dreams. But I think this is enough chit-chat for today. Cheerio, love."
Brutus gave her one last smirk, and then she realized where she'd seen it before. Before she could say anything, he was gone, and the sounds of alarms were on the horizon. She lay her head back in the sand, her breath shallow. She doubted she had much time left.
With someone you'd never expect...
The dog faunus was less than excited. More accurately, she was pissed. Strange creatures break into her house and kill her dead, granting her request for death; and she couldn't even die right.
"I swear, the universe planned this for me." Laura Sinsco muttered, her transparent feet like pillows on the hardwood floor. She looked down at her ruined wreck of a body, her dog ears perking back in anger. After the hate subsided, despair came. She had wanted to die for her sins, to be snuffed out like some common candle in the dead of night, no one to remember her but... Ariad. Her one and only, albeit misguided, attempt at love. It didn't help that she'd been in a coma for...seven years. Time flies when you've been half-dead. The air turned black around her, and she felt as if she was being yanked into the air. She was flying, falling, foaming, until suddenly she was in a ship, shining metal all around her. She saw a girl with red and brown hair on the ground, surrounded by two other, one with a white cape and the other with yellow hair. But what startled Laura was that she saw the brown-haired girl's soul leaking away, through a hole in her chest.
"Maybe the universe did have this planned for me..." The dog Faunus knelt down next to the group, her hands going out and reaching for the girl, the tips of her fingers shining as she pressed them to the wound. She gave a small cry as something slipped away from her, the hole in the brown-haired girl's chest sealed shut. "Why the hell did I do that? Where the hell am I?"
Laura shook her head, standing up as the girl coughed violently and opened her eyes, the two women at her side crying with joy and relief as two more girls rushed over, one in black and the other in white. Another woman with curved horns stared at Laura, a small smile on her face.
"Thank you, Laura Sinsco. You have my gratitude. But do not mistake that for forgiveness. I will not forget what you did." She heard the woman speak in her mind, a hardness in her voice, one that matched steel.
"I'm trying to make up for it." She muttered, shrugging as another woman, one that looked similar to the woman who had talked to her walked up to the woman with hair like dead wheat.
"Mom, who are you talking to?" Pandora asked, looking at the spot where the spirit was.
"Just...a kind spirit." Persephone replied, a small knowing smile on her face.
"You really know how to be mysterious when you want to, don't you?" The smaller woman muttered, folding her arms as her mother laughed.
"It's a gift your father gave me."
"Eh? My father?"
"Mother I guess, if you want to get technical about it."
"Is she...alive?"
"I am." A new voice stated, a female form replied, stepping from the shadows. Her hair was put up in an old style, her eyes covered by chitin. Her hands ended in claws, but the rest of her skin was an olive brown, unblemished.
"My pup, meet Lilith."
"You're my dad?"
"Yes, I am."
"But... I thought Summer was my mom?" Pandora asked aloud, the woman in white looking at her.
"You thought I was your mother?"
"Well, Lilith looks nothing like me!"
"I hope one day we are comfortable enough for you to call me your mother." The olive woman stated, a hurt expression hidden on her face.
"No no! I didn't mean it like that! It's just...you're not pasty white like almost everyone else." Pandora hastily stated, trying not to murder her relationship with her father before it could even start.
"I spent most of my early life in the sun. That accounts for my complexion."
"Oh, okay."
A sound of something being dropped filled the air and killed the conversation. Laura looked to her right, spotting a man with one arm and orange hair neatly cut staring at Lilith. At pile of steaming bowls sat hovering at his feet, the anti-grav units activating to stop them from spilling their contents.
"Persephone? What is she doing here?" The man asked, a woman with purple hair walking up behind him before she stopped too.
"Isn't she the Grimm who tried to kill you?" Welsha asked aloud, Lilith trying to sink into the floor.
"You tried to kill Gilgi?" Pandora asked her father, the Grimm woman blushing hotter than the sun.
"She was your wife?" Summer asked as well, the red-haired girl at her feet staring between the two.
"Summer, you knew that already." Persephone stated, the white attired woman smiling sheepishly.
"Ah...I was in a bad spot, to put it lightly." Lilith muttered.
"Hey, well, no big deal." Gilgi said, walking over to the Grimm woman and holding out his hand.
"Can no one else see me?!" Laura asked, all eyes turning to her in shock.
"Ghost!" Pandora cried, holding her mom in front of her.
"Piss off ghost!" An orange haired woman cried from where she stood frozen in place.
"I guess that answers my question." Laura muttered, waving to the group. "Hi, I'm Laura. Laura Sinsco. I should be dead, but I'm not. So...yeah."
"Wait, I know you!" Gilgi said, before a frown took over his face. "You're that bitch who tortured Ariad."
"..." Laura gave a sniffle. He was right. Then her knees gave out as the dam broke. Her tears fell hard as she tried to stand, tried to halt them from falling. "I know what I did. I know it was wrong. And I've been waiting every damn day to die for it. Now I can't. A fitting fate for a bitch like me, huh?" She said, her voice cracking as she brought her knees close to her chest.
No one went to her side.
The lights flickered and then Ariad was in front of her.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" The lynx asked, her voice hard and cold.
"I died. And I didn't."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I thought of you, and then I was here. The girl over there," Laura pointed to Ruby, her finger shaking. "Was dying. I think I fixed her."
"So let me get this straight, you came here cause you thought of me, saved Ruby's life, and then just decided to appear?"
"Ariad! Where the hell did you go off to-" Brafez shouted, stopping in his tracks as he saw the two. "Oh shit."
"Hey! I met my dad! That's cool!" Pandora said, gesturing to Lilith.
"Oh, hey there." Brafez said, waving at her. Lilith waved back awkwardly. He looked back at Laura, frowning. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"..." Laura stilled, looking at him. A second passed, then three.
"Relax, it was a joke." Brafez said with a smile, holding out his hand to the spirit. Everyone stared at the hand, Ariad included.
"What?" Laura asked, backing away from the hand.
"I know what you did to my love. But...you saved Ruby's life. So I'm willing to give you a very, very small chance." Brafez explained, looking at Ariad and then Ruby.
"I wanted to die, all my life. And now I can't."
"Well, that means you have a purpose. A reason for being here." The bluenette stated, helping the dog faunus up as she took his hand. "And I doubt that reason for being here is to mess with us."
"I..." Laura shook, staring at him, and then at Ariad. "I want to help."
"You would've helped by staying dead." Ariad stated, before turning around and walking off, leaving the rest of the hall in silence. Brafez looked at them before sighing and walking off after Ariad, the rest of the hall remaining silent until a boy with shaggy white haired walked up to the spirit, a man in metal armor chasing after him.
"Hi there! Are you a ghost?" The boy asked, the man stopping next to Persephone. A flash of green accompanied a girl with straight orange hair showing up next to him.
"Ummm. I guess?" She wasn't quite sure what she was.
"Cool! My name's Itzal, what's yours?"
"I'm Laura." The dog faunus replied. "It's nice to meet you."
Sanctuary, further down the hall...
"Ariad! Wait up!" Brafez cried, running after the lynx faunus.
"What do you want?" She asked, her voice so shrill it stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes were tight, her hands clenched in rage.
"I'm trying to explain why I helped her."
"I don't know why you did it, and I don't want to know. I just want her out of my way."
"She can help us get Grey and Innocence to safety." Brafez stated, his voice tight and quick. She stopped, her face softening. "Then once she's done with that, we leave her here, on Remnant."
Ariad cooled, her fingers unclenching and her arms loose at her side. It would be the best option to help them, to get her sisters to safety. But she didn't, couldn't like it one bit. The thought made her want to vomit.
"I...Okay. If she's being truthful about wanting to help, then..."
"She came here when she thought of you. If she thinks of them, then she should, theoretically, be able to go where they are." He pulled her closer, into a tight hug that turned his knuckles white. "Besides, you don't know how much I want to hurt her."
She shook alongside him, their hands tight and firm. They understood each other enough to know how much they wanted to hurt Laura. The sound of footsteps was enough to pry them apart as they turned to look who'd shown up. That was when they noticed the sign above them that read "For Those Who Are Gone and Here". They looked down the hall and saw a man in a tan form-fitting suit walking towards them, his black ponytail swaying back and forth with his steps.
"Hey Kitten, I'd like my sword back." Jetstream Sam stated, walking up to the two. Ariad blinked before smiling and tossing him the gun-sheath and blade. He smiled back in that familiar shit-eating grin and turned to walk away before he stopped, turning back around. "Sometimes, Kitten, you have to let go of the past to let the future thrive."
"I don't remember you being a theologist." She snarked back.
"Well, I prefer to let my blade do the talking, but when that doesn't work I use my tongue."
"So I've noticed." Brutus stated, walking up to the three. His bone-plated arm was covered in dried blood, his shirt torn in places to expose the pale skin underneath. They didn't know the cause of those holes, or the blood, but they did see the grin on his face, and that was more than enough to send their hearts skittering down their throats. Sam, however, was unfazed by the man-turned-monster, and clapped him on the back as he walked by.
"That's supposed to be my creator's Alter? What the hell happened to him?" Brafez wondered quietly, Ariad watching the man walk down the hall towards the communal showers.
"I'm not sure we want to find out." She responded with wariness in her voice.
"You will," A voice much like Pandora's echoed, making them turn around. Sam had walked off, and in his place was a horrifying sight: Pandora stood there, but her back was splayed open and her rib cage had been arranged into that of macabre angel wings, and from the between the gaps leaked Dark. Her hair was cut short, the tips frayed and her face a mix of quiet emotions. A woman stood next to her, her hair black and her eyes on them. She wore a officer's uniform, that said Vytal on the badge on her chest.
"Jesus H Christ..." Brafez muttered, his blood catching fire. Whoever had done this to pan would pay, even if in his mind he knew it was her other.
"Stay your hand, friend. The monster who did this to me is dead, as is his love." Pandora's alter replied, trying to cool his rage before he did something nasty. "I am Sera, and this here is Eliza Vasques."
"What the fuck happened to your back?" Ariad asked the unspoken question, a small smile forming on Sera's face.
"I was captured. Tortured. Maimed. All for love."
"Who would do that..."
"Did I?" Brafez asked, his hands clenched.
"Not you, specifically. Another you, from a different land. He lost his love, and tried to resurrect her. It...cost him dearly in the end." Sera explained, her face contorting from the bad memories. Eliza placed a hand on her shoulder, and her face softened like feathers.
"Did Brutus kill him?"
"Yes. The other you was the cause of Das Helmund's arm." Sera stated, her tongue catching mirth from the air. Brafez couldn't help but smile a little.
"Is that your language?" Ariad asked.
"Yes. I am the last to speak it from that world. After Das Helmund wiped the earth and moon clean of Grimm."
"And...the moon?" Brafez asked, shock forming in his heart. That meant...
"Yes. I am the last of the Grimm from that world. I am happy to be among my kind again after so long."
"No wonder that bastard sends a chill up my spine." Ariad stated, hand on Brafez's wrist. Almost as if she was keeping him restrained. "Besides, we don't know what he went through. Maybe...maybe he just was lost for a time. Like I was."
"I...I guess. What made him do it?"
"The Grimm killed his sister."
"And he killed them back. No wonder he stays so close to Welsha. I hate to think what I would do if I lost her." Brafez sighed out, his muscles unclenching. Ariad looked around, confusion in her eyes.
"Where's Clement?"
"Waiting for Brutus in the communal showers of course." Eliza stated, smirking at the blush that developed on Sera's face.
"She...is a taker of risks." Sera replied, her wings slowing their flow.
"You're Katie, aren't you?" Brafez asked, noticing the full length glove the police woman wore.
"Indeed I am. I do like to keep it a secret however."
"Why's that?"
"I..."
"What's Das Helmund mean?" Ariad asked, keeping the other Katie's question unanswered until she felt comfortable enough to say.
"In your tongue, it is Killer of Kin."
"At least it's not something stupid like the Reaper or the Devil." Ariad said, her shoulders strained. "And Sera, if you ever want to talk about what happened to you, I'm hear to listen."
"Me as well. I have a feeling my past was no less painful." Brafez retorted. Ariad looked at him with confusion, her hand in his almost immediately. "The past few days I've been having nightmares. I'm trapped in a tube, pain seething up and down my body. I have no doubt that Mangeele had something to do with it. "
"You are Das Helmund's clone, yes?" Sera inquired, stepping forward, curiosity leaking from her wings.
"I suppose so." Brafez replied, his arms folded in disagreement.
"I never met your Alter. The clones."
"That's because...Brutus broke. He...slaughtered the residents of Inverness. No one lived. He wanted to die with the rest of them." Eliza replied, her gloved hand held in a tight fist. He couldn't tell if it was because of rage or regret. "He burned the clones to ashes. Brutus gave up the true Brafez's soul before he tried to die. Clement found him among the rubble and nursed him back to health. He is no longer Brafez Rasputin, just a ghost, a phantom. A shallow shadow."
"He's...broken." Brafez said aloud. There was no hatred, no anger. Just sympathy for a shattered soul.
The ship-wide intercom sprang to life, Ariad's ears perking up.
"Will Ariad, Blake, Brafez, and Laura come to the cockpit? Thank you." I asked, my voice like battered honey in the dimly lit halls. Ariad felt her whole body tense, but she took a breath and let it out on the breeze. Her anger had lived for long enough. They said goodbye and spun around, walking to the cockpit. Laura appeared next to her, her form like a lightbulb turning on as she appeared. She saw the tenseness in her body and took a few steps back, ending up behind Brafez. They made their way to the cockpit, Blake waiting outside the door. Her face was hard-set in a thin line. They looked at each other and walked in, myself silently piloting the city-ship, radio frequencies filling the air. I touched a hologram next to my chair, the air filling up and threatening to burst with the sounds of violence.
"That's from Menagerie." I stated quietly.
"You think it's the Und Tiemers?"
"No. I think it's the radicalized portion of the White Fang."
"I thought they all were." Ariad asked aloud, her question hanging from a noose.
"Some more than others." Blake replied quietly, her face like a marble statue.
"We're sending down some volunteer agents to try and ascertain the situation." I said, standing up and facing them. They tried to ignore the leaking cyan fluid in my coat.
"You mean to see who's still alive." Brafez asked, his face sad and uncertain.
"Yeah." I replied, my voice resigned. This would be bad, no matter who made it out.
"I could go down." Laura spoke, her voice turning the room quiet as Ariad's body tensed, anger and hatred radiating from it. "See who's alive."
"No. We need you to find some people." I replied, looking at Ariad. "We need you to find her sisters."
"I don't remember her having sisters. If I did, I probably would have done the same to them as I did to her." And just like that, the anger that had died came swirling back to the lynx like a mutilated cape.
"Are you really saying that?" Ariad hissed back, hands clenched and trembling with sound. She didn't care that she would blow a hole in the wall before she injured the phantom, she just wanted her gone.
"We don't need Innocence and Grey dying over your anger." I snapped at Ariad, her eyes going wide in shock. My voice was hard and quiet. I turned to face Laura. "I need you to find her alter-egos and escort them to safety."
"Where's safe right now?" Laura asked, her eyes on Ariad.
"Here," I replied, handing her three drawings. One was a sillouhette with a crown on it's head, the others were Sanctuary and a pair of two lynx fauna, one barely over eleven and the other around her mid forties. "Try focusing on the picture. Get down all the details. Leave nothing to chance. Hopefully you can teleport by just remembering the pictures."
"If you say anything other than okay, I will punt your cunt-ass off this ship." Ariad stated, a feral smile bubbling up on her face. Laura swallowed even though she was intangible and focused on the drawings, her world starting to become fuzzy. Then she was gone with a pop and Ariad had no one to kick off the ship.
Quickly descending through the atmosphere...
Wej sighed, dropping an Und Tiemer corpse. He had replaced enough bodies to fill up a second ship by this point, but he wasn't quite sure about that. The only thing he was sure about was that he was really, really good at killing the bastards. He rolled his shoulders as he put a sword's blade through a scarred skull and ended another of the bastards, flying out of his corpse as reinforcements came from the front of the ship and gunned down his newest possessee. He frowned; he needed to get better at the not dying thing if he was to win this...battle? War? What was he fighting? Why was he fighting? It all seemed so clear when he was in the blood and the boils, but thinking it through... he didn't know why. He wanted a reason to fight, but right now wasn't the time to find it. He jumped into the Und Tiemer in the back of the group and raised his arm, bone fragments skittering about like spiders as they tore their way through the group, Wej lowering his possession's arm and turning around, making his way towards the bridge. Or at least where he thought the bridge was. This whole deal was confusing.
A cry rung out and he spun around, scarred and malformed arm raised. The Und Tiemers at the end of the hall began to rise, the ones in front of him following shortly after. He put down the ones in front of him and stalked forwards, listening for the cry. Whatever evil brought these things back from the dead must have been near. Or really loud, but he didn't like to think that way. He turned to his left, his arm vibrating as he saw a glow emanate from a doorway up ahead in the twisting corridor. He peered through the door, a horrifying sight meeting his eyes. It was one of the lanterns he had seen when he first entered this ship, but a small humanoid form was melted to the iron lamppost, it's lungs huge and visible. The head was similar to the other Und Tiemers, yet it's mouth was larger, and had feelers instead of teeth. He could barely see the eyes on it's malformed head, which was even moreso when compared to the rest of the otherworldly invaders. He took a step back as it stared at him, it's mouth hanging like a noose as it screamed again, Wej feeling his skin tighten and contour. He felt...different.
That difference was unveiled to him as he fell to the floor, his body riddled with bone shards and blades. He wasn't leaving the body. His fingers, arms, legs, were numb beyond belief. He was...dying? He felt black come up to meet him. He was drowning in it, hands tearing at his form as he sank deeper and deeper into the muck. Wej could hear the banshee's wail ringing in his ears as he sank, clear as glass. He snapped back into his body as his hand shot up and put a bolt through the Und Tiemer clinging to the lantern, it's cry cutting off as his spectral form returned to the air. That hadn't been fun, at all. He needed to clear this ship out yesterday. His eyes swept over the crowd outside of the room, hardening as he saw the difference in numbers. He wouldn't be able to kill all of them in one body, but... He reached out with his mind, putting just enough power into the effect that those black beady eyes turned orange for a few seconds. It worked just long enough for the Und Tiemers to blow each other away, holes in their forms as they fell like rocks, a smile on Wej's face as he floated over their still forms and headed back the way he came, grabbing another one of the soldiers as they passed by and falling in line as the group walked ahead. He walked in tune, one of the Und Tiemers carrying a cart that scuttled along the ground. He joined them in placing the bodies he had lain waste to on the cart, fluids leaking out of the scarred bodies.
He tried to ignore the others' looks as he piled up the bodies, and when they were done he walked next to the one in front as they saddled down the hallway and took steps toward...wherever they were going. Wej was growing more and more anxious as they walked, his limbs tight with tension. The tension died, cut by strings as they went through a round door, the foursome carrying the cart over to a pad that glowed green. Once the cart retracted it's legs, the pad glowed bright, almost blinding as the holes in the Und Tiemer's forms closed up and they awoke like they had merely been sleeping. Or maybe they had been, for all he knew. Maybe he couldn't kill them at all. The thought chilled his form, a chill that brought his arm up and firing. It fired, cold aching out of his form as he put them down like dogs, splinter's leaving them in shambles. Wej looked for anything to put this room out of commission, and then he spotted something that pulsed like a heart, green light able to be seen through the skin.
He searched through the still bodies, tearing off bone arms and attaching them to his own. He lifted his makeshift-macabre weapon at the pulsing flesh and sent out a pulse into his arm, the limb blowing apart and shredding the pulsing mass, along with his body. He felt the ship shake as a shriek railed out, the walls undulating and melting apart as flames licked from the outside. The room must've been close to the outside hull, as he saw stars and black through the holes in the ship. Wej took a step back from the wall where the mass had rested, his feet urging him back before he was...sucked out? Could he even be sucked out of the ship since he was a spirit? Did he even have mass? All these questions flew out of the ship with him as the floor buckled and distorted like a rib cracking. He held his breath subconsciously as he descended through the atmosphere, the black above him like a blanket as he waited to hit...whatever he would land on from this height. He just hoped he wouldn't hurt anybody with his impact, if there were still people down there for him to land on. He spun around to face the planet, his limbs at his side. The world didn't have forever, and he needed to get down quick. He saw the rest of the Und Tiemer ships below him and angled away from them, his mind on one goal; find the man with the odd hat, the one that had made him this way. That was the only explanation he could think of to have the man in what little memories he held.
Below, above the ocean...
Weiss stared at the wall, her head swirling. The world was ending, her family was most-likely dead, and her partner had almost died trying in vain to save the day, like she always almost did. That last one hurt the most, knowing she'd almost lost Ruby. She was special, not that Yang and Blake weren't special too, but Ruby... She couldn't help but smile as she though of her smile; that cheery, optimistic smile that didn't care if the world was ending, or that she'd almost broken Myrtenaster that one time when she tried to add attachments. Who would think of adding a rocket launcher to a weapon that already shot dust? That just didn't make any sense. She had that filed under her folder of "Ruby-isms". She had a lot of those. Like when Ruby wanted to have hot cocoa with her so she would randomly place marshmallows around the campus until she relented, or when the hooded girl had strapped a pair of rocket lockers to a computer chair and asked her to hop on. Ruby always has the weirdest, loveliest ideas.
She felt something wet land on her hand. Was she crying? Why? Ruby was fine.
She was dying an hour ago and I couldn't do a damned thing. She's my partner and I let her get hurt. Why didn't I stop her when I had the chance?
Weiss didn't hear the hum of the hover chair as it came by.
"Hey Weiss," Ruby said, a IV attached to her wrist as she leaned forward in her chair. The damage was still healing, even with Sanctuary's advanced technology. "You okay?"
"You had a hole in your chest half-an-hour ago and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Sometimes Weiss wanted to strangle that girl.
"Well, yeah, I am. You're my partner." Ruby gave her that cheery smile. It only made her heart ache.
"And I'm your's. You shouldn't have gotten hurt."
"It was my fault for rushing in. Not yours. I...panicked. The world was ending and I was trying to save it," Ruby choked up, her eyes shimmering. "At least we got lucky."
"I know..."
The silence between them filled with concrete.
"This place is pretty cool, huh? All sorts of tech. Kinda reminds me of Ariad's place, except..."
"Better?" Weiss finished for her, the redhead looking at her with a face of embarrassment.
"Don't tell her I said that?"
"I think she has other things to worry about." Weiss smiled back.
"Yeah. Her family's in Menagerie?"
"Her birth-mother and sister. Blake's from there too."
"Worried about your family?" Ruby asked, and the warmth and worry in her voice made Weiss' heart flitter.
"Not just about them. I'm worried about you too."
"I know. That's why I went looking for you." Ruby responded, her voice solid and comforting. She yanked out the IV from her wrist and tried to exit the chair before she stumbled. Weiss caught her, one arm around her back and the other under her knees. "Thanks."
"Dolt," She muttered, helping the redhead stand. She tried to calm her racing heart and burning skin from where she had caught the hooded girl. "You know, if you try to leave this ship I'm breaking your legs."
"I figured. Don't want your Rose getting hurt, huh?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked, before her cheeks flushed with color. She was supposed to be beyond this. Ruby smirked, leaning against the cool metal wall. Weiss blinked, and all of a sudden the Rose in front of her seemed more mature.
"Want to walk with me?" Ruby asked, holding out her hand. Weiss had taken it in her hand before the heiress had even noticed it herself. She giggled and stood up, the heiress helping her stand up. Before she could move Weiss had pulled her into a hug, arms tight around her.
"I'm not letting you ever get hurt again." Weiss muttered into her shoulder, eyes burning like a bonfire as the hooded girl held her back.
"I know. I'm not gonna let it happen either."
"You're my best friend."
"Just best friends?" Weiss stepped back a bit, suspicion on her face.
"I... Where'd you get all this confidence?"
"I always had it. It only came out when I had Crescent Rose in my hands. I think...I think dying brought it out more. I realized I can't wait for the things I want anymore."
"I guess dying really changes a person, huh?" The white-haired girl replied, a smile on her face as she laughed.
"It's been a strange day today."
"I know what you mean."
"World ends, my mom comes back from the dead, turns out I have a Grimm for a step-sister, a ghost heals my wounds. What's next?"
"Your partner has a crush on you?" Weiss muttered, trying to keep it low enough to where she wouldn't hear it.
"That's not so strange. Look at Blake and Yang."
"No, Ruby, I-"
"I know. Me too." Ruby replied, a slight blush forming on her face as she took a step forward and kissed the heiress on the cheek. Weiss stood there, stunned. Her cheeks were so cold they burned, and her limbs refused to work. Did that really just happen?
"You still in there Weiss?" The redhead asked, waving a hand in front of her blue eyes.
"I...uh, yeah. Sorry that came as a bit of a shock."
"I could tell. So, that walk?" She smiled, hand held out. Weiss took it and kissed the knuckles, Ruby's face turning as red as her namesake.
"I'd love too. Where are we going?"
"Where else? We're exploring."
"How about we take the chair. That way you don't die on that way there."
"Yeah yeah," Ruby muttered hopping back into the chair. She pushed a button on the side and the seat extended into one big enough for the both of them. Weiss took her wrist as she sat down, the IV in her hand.
"You pull this out again, I'm telling your mother."
"Didn't figure you for a snitch."
"Just looking out for my partner." Weiss responded, taking the redhead's hand in hers. It seemed like those silver eyes shined a little brighter than before, but it was probably just her imagination.
Somewhere in the wilderness...
Innocence shivered, Grey slumped at her side. Her steps were getting slower, but she wasn't sure where she was going to begin with, so that fact only reminded her of the attack. She shut her eyes as snowflakes fell down, the forest around them bared teeth in the night. It was dark, probably since the moon had broken up. She wasn't quite sure what happened, but the moon had disappeared a few hours ago. It left her with a hard pit in her gut, one that wouldn't go away as the night dragged itself out of its coffin. Something terrible was happening. The small faunus tripped over a branch she hadn't seen hidden in the snow, placing herself between the ground and Grey to soften her fall. She felt snow crawl up her back, the loose-fitting canvas poncho she wore doing nothing to keep the cold at bay when it hit her midriff.
She cursed herself for not wearing anything but a sports bra underneath and not taking her coat from the bar when they had the chance, and hauled herself to her feet one-handed, looking at the branch that had tripped her up. It wasn't a branch, but a spine from a Beowulf's corpse. It was fresh, at least, that's what she thought. She wasn't a hunter. She wished Ariad was here, she would know what to do. Innocence looked at her limp arm; the wound had turned black in the few hours she had been walking for. It was probably infected, but she couldn't tell. She couldn't feel her arm anymore. It would probably need to be amputated. But... an idea grew in her head. She'd heard of Changelings, people who had taken in the Dark of Grimm and changed, for those who lived. They came away with enhanced speed, durability, reflexes. Rumor had it they could live once more after dying. She could use that to take care of Grey, keep her safe. But was it worth-
Screw it.
Innocence reached for the Beowulf's neck, taking the bone shard at her waist and digging it into the artery that she felt through the fur. Black liquid gushed out, turning the snow grey. She frowned, taking a step forward and slitting the wrist of her dead arm and placing it against the wound. It took her a few tries to get it in place, but once she did she felt fire trail up her arm, the first feeling she'd felt in that one for a long time, and engulf her. Pain slammed her into the ground, branches clawing at her back as she writhed on the ground, her mouth clenched shut from the pain. It redoubled and she gasped for air, her lungs squeezing. Every part of her burned, and it took all of her willpower not to cry out and attract those creatures if they were nearby. She felt the pain bounce off her skull, and then again and again and again until it felt like she was being crushed under a mountain and thrown in a volcano all at once. She swam in an ocean that bit chunks out of her inch by inch, not caring if she felt like her mind was being torn apart. The dead arm, she felt it's bones shift and mangle until it wasn't even a limb anymore, more of a blunt instrument of death, it's skin hardened to a point where even diamond would be given a run for it's money. Eventually the pain became too much and she vanished into darkness, her last thoughts on Grey and Ariad.
Laura popped into view, the ground pressing against her soles as she looked around, the snow falling fast and hiding her quarry from view. But she was close. The last time she'd done this left her only a few feet away from Ariad, so Innocence couldn't be too far. She stepped through the snow, her feet fast and her eyes tracking as her nose picked up a peculiar sense. It smelled like rotten eggs and mercury. It was at least a mile out, but strong. And if she could smell it this clearly, Grimm and those creatures could too. Her legs pumped as fast as her Weimaraner genes let her after that thought. She was already dead, but the though of losing Ariad's sisters to those monsters sent a jolt of fear through her core. She didn't notice the shadow flying above, or it's red eyes as it flew in the direction of Innocence.
She woke to the sound of feathers flapping.
Grey picked her head up, eyes on alert as she clasped a hand on her wound and tried to stand, her cloaks keeping her warm in the winter chill. Her free hand searched for a weapon as she saw a nevermore standing over Innocence, doing something to her... what happened while she was passed out?
"Your friend is not the wisest of beings," The nevermore muttered, looking at the older faunus.
"You can talk?" Grey asked, laying back down in the snow. Her wound hurt more than it should.
"Yes. My name is Dorothy, and you're lucky I found you before the others did. What you friend here did sent out a pretty big signal." The nevermore cawed, fluttering her wings quickly.
"What happened to Innocence?" She wheezed out, trying to stand.
"I'm assuming she was trying to protect you, so she injected Dark into her body,"
Grey felt her blood turn to icicles, and she hauled herself to her feet. Each step hurt more than the last, but her legs kept working, and that's all she needed to happen. The nevermore - Dorothy - stood between her and Innocence, wings flared. Grey tried to gather sound in her fist and held it up.
"I'm trying to protect you. I've managed to stabilize her blood, but if you go over there you'll change too; there's too much in the air around her right now. Unless..."
Grey felt the Grimm staring at the wound in her abdomen, and lowered her hand, the sound dissipating. She'd heard the stories of Changelings, and all the positives that came with the change. But she'd also heard the horrors. The constant need for Dark, the obsidian growths that grew from the wounds, the rest of the world viewing them as aberrations.
"Do it. I'm dying anyways. The wound's infected, and this internal bleeding isn't gonna fix itself. Just try to contain the growth to something that won't hamper my movement." Grey muttered, stumbling over as she felt blood seep through her fingers like water. Dorothy caught her in her wingspan, pecking at her wing and holding Grey against the self-inflicted wound. Almost immediately the faunus let out a cry of pain and threw herself back, her body spasming as black rock grew out of her wound, covering her abdomen like a corset. Dorothy sighed and walked over, pricking her beak against the shifting obsidian and halting the transformation. The nevermore picked up the Changeling faunus and put her on her back, doing the same with Innocence as howls picked up all around them.
"Time to fly," the Grimm muttered, flapping her wings as she took off into the night. Laura burst from the trees behind them, hope fading from her eyes as she saw the two girls asleep on the back of the nevermore.
"FUCK!" She roared, kicking her feet in the snow and falling to the ground. "FUCK FUCK FUCK!"
Her one chance at redemption, at even a chance of forgiveness, slipping through her fingers at the last second. She glanced back up at the night, the nevermore gone, and with it Grey and Innocence. Grimm poured out of the forest, attracted both by her dismay and by the spill of Dark in the area. The Weimaraner faunus took out the drawings the man with the funny hat had given her, an idea forming in her spirit mind. Maybe...maybe her chance wasn't lost. Get them somewhere safe...
She focused on the picture, and was gone in a whisper.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTY