Author's Note: An unprecedented, early and back-to-back release, for all of you. Happy belated Thanksgiving Weekend! I hope everyone had a great week and is waddling around with turkey filled bellies! As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
PS. READ THE AUTHOR'S RANT, VERY IMPORTANT!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Betas: yuvinile and noobalisious
"You ever wonder why they send our mail to that office instead of just taking them to our dorms?" Athena asked Lucian as the two made their way to the teacher's wing.
She was dressed in a simple black, dark blue shirt, some shorts, and a pair of flats while Lucian donned a white button shirt, the top 3 buttons undone and his sleeves partially rolled up, and dark jeans, sporting a pair of dress shoes that could be used in more casual attire.
"Probably don't want to deal with the delivery," Lucian replied as he sorted through some letters and envelops, one of which was addressed to Dante.
"Looks like he got something important," Lucian added as he handed the large envelop to her.
"It . . . doesn't have any sender's information," she noted, looking over the exterior.
"Odd," Lucian muttered.
"So, how are you and Crato adjusting to having the dorm to yourselves?" she asked.
"Well, you guys got Lily Sunday night, moved out Tuesday, and now it's Friday. So far the only difference is that we don't get as many visits from team RWBY anymore and it's quieter than usual, otherwise we're doing well," Lucian replied.
"Aaww . . . you miss us," Athena teased making Lucian snort.
"Whatever gets you through the night. How is Lily doing by the way?" he asked.
"Fine. Her stomach has settled so she can eat some Grimm meat now, and even other foods but it has to be small portions and she needs to wash it down with 'punch' or else it upsets her," she replied.
"I love how you guys call it 'punch' even though she knows exactly what it is."
"What can you do? She's just entered her growth phase so she needs to drink at least 8 ounces every day and if we didn't find a name for it, we are bound to have a slip up and a very complicated mess on our hands," she replied.
"Well, with the hunting Dante and I did yesterday night you should be fully stocked for another 5 days, and that's without accounting for the 50 lbs. of Beowolf that Kiara got you," he said.
"Who was it anyway?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Darius Olric, gang affiliate and known hitman. Havasu got us a list of Vale criminals with bounties on their heads. We just picked out the ones with a 'dead or alive' marker. Get the 'punch', turn in the heads, and get some decent pocket money," Lucian answered.
"I guess that works," she muttered.
"Where do you keep it all?"
"We have a storage cooler in the extra room."
"When did you get that?"
"Thursday morning."
" . . ."
The two remained silent for the rest of the walk to the 4th floor of the teacher's wing, heading for room 6. Athena unlocked the door with her scroll before allowing Lucian to walk in before following. Unlike their previous dorm, this new suite was larger, with one master bedroom and two smaller rooms. The master bedroom was to the right side, complete with a spacious bathroom and walk-in closet. The two other rooms were on the left side, laid out so that the far one had a window while the one nearest to the hall didn't. They were separated in the center by a small bathroom, complete with shower, and their respective doors.
Then there was the kitchen to Athena's left. This one was shaped into an L formation with an island top in the center rather than a counter. Next was the dining room, a large table big enough for 8 to dine comfortably. Last was the living room, furnished with a large sofa, a loveseat, and a recliner in the corner, while a large TV rested on a wooden counter against the right wall.
"I will say though, this place is way more like an apartment than an academy dorm," Lucian said as he walked to the island and set the letters down.
"No kidding," Athena replied as she walked past him and headed for Dante.
He was dressed in a pair of jeans, white wraps, and green shirt, sitting cross legged on the recliner while inspecting a piece of Draco Ira, his finger trailing over the edge. A few feet in front of him was Lily, Kiara, and Havasu, all sitting on the floor. Lily was playing with Havasu's hair, trying to tie a pink ribbon to his tail of hair while he just pouted and sighed in defeat. Kiara was giggling while watching, her hair already pulled back into a ponytail with a white ribbon. Lily herself had her hair in pigtails, using a pair of dark blue ribbons, matching her light blue shirt and black shorts beautifully.
"Where are Crato, Thantos, and Cicero?" Athena asked as she passed by Havasu.
"Abandoned me to my fate and went to spar against each other," Havasu replied with a growing pout.
"Oh please, you just wanted to play with Lily," Kiara giggled as she took out her scroll and took a picture of him.
"If Coco or Yang see that I will drop dead," Havasu muttered.
"Drama queen," Athena scoffed as she looked at Dante, his eyebrows scrunching as he looked intently at the black sword fragment on his lap.
"You look focused," she commented as she stepped beside him and looked at the sword as well.
"Hmm? Oh yeah," he said as he snapped out of his thoughts. "It's just can't help but find this so odd."
"What?" she asked as she leaned on his shoulder.
"The fact that it actually broke," he replied as he held the hilt in his right hand.
"I thought weapons forged with the one of the legendary dusts couldn't be broken," she said as she looked more closely at the split just above the hilt.
A clean break, no cracks or obvious sign of what could have caused it to break.
"They aren't, but somehow Draco Ira is broken . . . and dead," Dante replied as he picked up the scabbard and sheathed the end, the other fragments already inside. "Which really sucks because I don't have my machetes either."
"You lost them back in the mission right?" Lucian said as he approached the group.
Dante nodded as he sighed. "That leaves my Artemis bow but I can't use it in close combat or for friendly sparring."
"Then get a new pair of swords," Havasu said as Lily moved on from his hair to Mr. Snuggles, trying to pick out a ribbon to give him as a bow tie.
"It's not that easy. Because of our brute strength and especially rough methods of fighting, only a specially made weapon will do," Dante replied.
"That's why I don't use any," Lucian added with a smirk.
"Well you can go and –"
"Dante," Athena warned dangerously with a glance at Lily.
"Never mind . . . The point is Beacon is unlikely to have the materials or blacksmiths necessary to make me a new sword," Dante finished with grumble.
"Then stick to the old knuckle sandwich. As I understand it, you are the local Iron chef in that department," Havasu said.
"Isn't it master chef?" Kiara asked as she helped Lily start the bow tie.
"Yeah but I thought that Iron sounded cooler plus his knuckles look like shiny iron when he doesn't use his wraps," Havasu replied.
"Well . . . I'll figure something out," Dante said as he placed the sheathed sword down against the recliner.
"Hey Dante, you got something," Athena said as she handed him the envelop and then looked at Lily.
It warmed her heart to see Lily adjusting to being around others. Dante's plan for slowly introducing new people had worked well, though Lily still needed to be able to find her or Dante whenever she got uncomfortable. Them aside, Lily had also taken especially well to Kiara and Velvet so if she and Dante both had to be away for any reason, Lily was looked after by one of them.
As for the others, Lily had become better accustomed to team RWBY since they were regular visitors while she was shy around team JNPR and the rest of team CFVY. As for the rest of the Slayers, Havasu was the only one that would actively interact with her while the rest were simply friendly and respectful of her space; a good thing too. To say that she was protective of Lily was a gross understatement and everyone knew it . . . or learned the hard way.
As Athena watched Lily play with the ribbons, she made a mental note to thank Blake for getting them for her. She was about to sit down with her when she heard Dante gasp sharply. She snapped around to look at him.
Dante had opened the envelop and was now holding what looked like 2 tickets for something and a large feather, the root being nearly white and the color deepening to a reddish brown as it approached the tip. Dante was staring at the feather, his face going very pale as he barely breathed.
"Dante!" Athena said in alarm as she got closer to him, the others turning their attention to him as well but he didn't react to them.
His hand holding the feather was trembling, his eyes shifting to their draconic form for a brief instance before returning to the regular hazel.
"Dante?" Lily asked timidly as she stood up and walked closer as well.
Dante didn't respond for several seconds, blinking several times before he took a deep breath and looked at Lily before looking to Athena.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her worry growing by the second.
"I . . . I'm not sure myself," he finally replied as he then looked at the tickets in his other hand. "But I have an idea why."
"Why what?" she asked as she tried to read the tickets.
"Why they called me back," he said cryptically as he got up from the recliner and walked to the dinner table before setting the tickets down along with the feather.
Athena walked to the table as well and looked down at the tickets. They were for an airship to Vacuo, round trip, dated for Sunday morning. 'Why would he get sent tickets to go to Vacuo?' she wondered as she looked back at Dante.
"Who called you back?" she asked softly.
"My . . . parents."
Everyone fell silent as they stared at Dante with wide eyes, Lily the only one just looking around in confusion.
"Y-Your parents?" Lucian stammered.
Dante nodded. "There can be no mistake, it's my mother's feather."
"And they want you to return to Vacuo? For what? Wait . . . I thought you said you haven't seen them in years so how can they even know you're here?" Kiara asked.
"I don't know . . . it could be because they miss me or . . ." he looked at Lily for a moment. "There is something they need to speak to me about."
"You mean . . . ?" Athena asked as she glanced at the small girl.
"Unlikely . . . no one knows about her origins aside from Ozpin, Goodwitch, and those of us that participated in the mission. If there is something they want to discuss, she may only be a side detail," Lucian said while looking at her.
"What do you mean by that?" Havasu asked.
"It's possible that . . . they are aware of our relationship," Dante said as he took her hand. "And have reservations about it."
Athena looked at him in the eyes, seeing his worry clear as day. She could feel the slightest tremble in his hands.
"So what do we do?" she asked softly.
"The message is clear . . . you and I both have to go or else my father comes here," he answered.
"Your father . . . the alpha dragon?" she asked in a small voice. Dante nodded.
"So? If he comes looking for a fight then we'll give him one," Havasu said with a smirk.
"It wouldn't be a fight . . . just a bloodbath," Dante replied. "We can't hold a candle to one of the Kishin."
"Y-you mean . . . one of the ten demon lords?" Kiara asked as her and Lucian's ears flattened down.
"Not just one of the Kishin . . . but Astaroth himself."
Athena had never seen anyone of the Alphas get scared before. Sure, she had seen Dante get hesitant or worried at times, but never actually scared. In fact the closest thing to fear she could recall was when Alluria backed away from Dante when he drew out his sword and that had been more of surprise than anything. Looking at them now, she could tell they weren't just scared . . . no, they were terrified. Their breathing became faint, their eyes shifting from agitation, and their frames were trembling.
"You mean . . . your father . . . is Astaroth . . . the strongest of the Kishin . . ." Lucian said in barely a whisper.
"Yes . . . and he wants me to come home," Dante replied with clenched fists.
Everyone stayed silent, letting the information settle. Athena's mind went into overdrive, thinking of what could mean for all of them. Would Dante be forced to stay? What if they didn't approve of Dante's role as a Slayer? Would they ever accept her? So many unknowns and all with only one course of action, to obey the summons and see for themselves.
"Athena?" Lily said in a quivering voice as she grabbed ahold of her hand. "Are you and Dante leaving?"
Her silence was an answer enough for Lily, her eyes starting to tear up as she sniffed. Athena sighed softly as she gently picked Lily up, one arm under her legs as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"It looks like we have to but don't worry, it won't be for long," she said soothingly.
Even with her answer, Lily started to cry, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. She kept saying soft words as she turned her eyes to Dante. She understood the look in his eyes. He was just as scared as Lily was of not coming back, and so was she . . .
'. . . barely . . . blood loss . . . failed . . .'
She could hear the faintest murmurs, most indistinct, leaving her confused as pain throbbed through her body. She could feel most of her body but regardless of her attempts, it wouldn't respond. She didn't know how long it took but slowly she managed to open her eyes, if only by a margin, only to be greeted by a blinding light forcing her to shut them again.
She waited for some time before trying to open them again, this time avoiding direct line of sight towards the harsh lights. She swiveled her eyes around, making out the image of a black ceiling and one large hanging light. She couldn't smell much of anything aside from disinfectant and her own blood but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. She couldn't move her head around to see and every inch of her was in some form of pain.
After what felt like hours she heard a door open somewhere behind her, two sets of steps coming in before a figure stepped into her sight. She would have cringed if she had the energy as she looked at the man standing beside her, Dr. Lepio, his dark eyes scanning over her. After a few seconds he glanced to something behind her before locking onto her own eyes.
"It seems that you've regained consciousness, Ms. Alluria," he said in his usually cold voice.
"Obviously," she managed to reply in a voice hoarse from disuse. She couldn't even muster the energy to scowl at him for referring to her by name.
"Even with one foot in the grave your attitude persists," he retorted with an annoyed voice.
"One foot in the grave?" she asked with the slightest hint of worry.
Dr. Lepio nodded before explaining, "The right side of your ribcage was crushed along with the lung. If it had been your left side then you would have gone into cardiac arrest. Several of your spinal disks were cracked as well, your right shoulder had several muscular tears . . . and your left wing was ripped off."
As Lepio listed the damage, Alluria felt her heart sink. Even with her regenerative ability, the one thing she could not walk away from was a crushed heart. She could regrow a new wing and heal all other forms of damage but her heart was her one weak spot, the weakness to all vampires.
After Dr. Lepio finished he grew oddly quiet, his eyes carrying a look that she could not ever recall seeing, fear. The doctor was scared, his eyes subtly glancing to the space behind her while his heart rate accelerated. She knew Dr. Lepio was a sick and twisted man, an oddity that relished in the sound of screaming, found ecstasy in the rending and defiling of bodies but now he was little more than a frightened human.
Slowly Alluria felt an odd pressure come over her, a presence making itself known. It was old and commanding, a sense of power radiating off it unlike anything Alluria had faced in combat. Feelings of dread began to fester within her, her own heart-rate rising as realization dawned on her.
' . . . no . . . w-why is . . . one of them . . . here?' she wondered as she broke into a cold sweat.
"Lepio . . . leave us," a feminine voice commanded, her tone leaving nothing for discussion.
Dr. Lepio quickly spun on his heel and all but ran out, closing the door behind him. What followed was an agonizing silence, the pressure growing as the figure behind her stepped closer but still remained out of view.
"Hello . . . little bat," the woman said in an emotionless voice.
" . . ." Alluria didn't speak, knowing that unless asked a direct question she was not to mouth a word in their presence.
"It seems you had an interesting encounter in the mountains," the woman continued in a cold voice. "And here I was thinking that sending you there would serve as a little punishment for the stunt in Beacon . . . oh well. Perhaps this will serve as a better lesson . . . if you are instructed to kill someone, make sure they are dead."
Alluria heard the woman step closer, this time a few strands of hair passing into her sight, the crimson locks brushing near her.
"But, there is little that can be done about that now. It isn't as if we expected such a skilled force to attack you and we did have the others working in Atlas at the time. Regardless, the operations in the Razorback region are lost, as well as our only successful hybrid."
The woman grew quiet, the pressure in the room rising as the woman's irritation surfaced. Despite her best efforts Alluria felt a slight whimper escape her, her fear starting to turn to panic.
"Scared are we?" the woman asked with sick amusement. "Don't worry little bat . . . you still hold his favor, if only by a margin but remember . . ."
Alluria felt one clawed finger pass beside her ear before trailing along her cheek, the tip pressing into her skin as it left a slick cut. The woman then lifted the finger, a blood-red claw coming into view with the tip dripping liquid crimson.
"If you fail us again . . . one rabid dragon won't be your only worry," the woman said as she stepped back before the sound of her steps reached Alluria's ears.
"Ta-ta," the woman chimed before she left the room and closed the door, leaving Alluria alone again.
As silence ensued Alluria felt hot tears trail down the sides of her face, small whimpers escaping her as she closed her eyes . . .
The morning air was cool, a fine mist hanging low to the ground. The sun had barely begun to rise, painting the sky in shades of blue and orange. Dante glanced at the bullhead behind him, Brick waiting for them in the cockpit, ready to take them to Vale's international airport.
He returned his attention to those in front of him. Half his team, team ACHN, Blake, Velvet, and Lily, all dressed in light jackets to ward of the cold. He glanced to his side to look at Athena, dressed in a dark blue coat over her usual attire. Both had backpacks on along with their usual weapons, the dead sword being the only one exposed against Dante's hip.
He returned his sight to his friends, noticing the looks of concern in from the Slayers, the only ones aware of danger their trip carried. Lily was in Kiara's arms, already teary eyed as she looked at them, clutching onto Mr. Snuggles. 'We need to get going . . . the flight leaves in 2 hours,' he thought as forced a small smile.
"Well . . ." he started in a low tone. "I guess we should get going."
". . . Do you really need to go?" Blake asked softly.
"Yeah, there are some . . . family matters that I can't skip," he answered.
"So you'll both be gone for the whole fall break?" Velvet asked with sad eyes.
"It's just for a week," Athena answered. "We'll be back before you know it."
The students didn't look like it made them feel any better but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Lucian then sighed as he stepped up to Dante and looked him in the eyes before offering a hand. Dante took it, shaking it firmly as Lucian spoke in a whisper.
"Make it back in one piece. I'll keep an eye out here for you," he said before he smirked slightly. "I just accepted you as my alpha so don't go running off now."
Dante smirked back with a nod, letting go of Lucian's hand and focusing his eyes on Lily. She looked back at him and Athena before asking Kiara to set her down, then walked over to them. They both kneeled down to be eye level with her as she sniffled while hugging onto her plushy.
"You will return . . . right?" she asked in a small voice, her eyes trembling as she looked between them.
"Of course sweetie," Athena replied as she pulled Lily into a gentle hug, the girl returning it with one arm.
Dante looked at the two, feeling his heart swell at the sight of how close the two were but also feeling a looming worry. What if something happened and they didn't return? Who would take care of Lily? What would happen to his pack? All could be jeopardized if their trip ended badly and he was powerless to stop it. He clenched his jaw in frustration, hating not knowing what could happen.
"Dante . . ." Lily said timidly as she released Athena and looked at him. "Please come back . . . I don't want to be alone again."
His eyes softened as he looked at her. He looked at her crimson eyes, no longer seeing the freak of nature that had once compelled him to destroy it, but an innocent child that he had sworn to protect. He gave her a small smile, a genuine one, as he brought his hand up, his pinky extended. She looked at it for a moment before bringing up her own small hand and interlacing her pinky with his.
"We will come back . . . it's a pinky promise."
It did the trick, Lily managing to give him a faint smile as she nodded before surprising him with a quick hug. Then she pulled back and ran back to Kiara, hugging on to her leg as she looked back at them.
Dante and Athena both straightened up and turned around, walking towards Brick's bullhead. They soon stepped on and gave Brick the all clear. As the engines roared to life and the ship started to ascend, they both looked down towards their friends, waving to them as the bullhead pulled away and out of sight.
Dante sighed heavily as they settled down into their seats, waiting for the short trip to the Vale airfield and then the ship to Vacuo.
"Hey . . ." Athena said as she grabbed onto his hand and faced him. "It will be ok . . . you'll see."
She then gave him a warm kiss, bring them both comfort. After they broke the kiss Dante smiled at her, some of his worries dispelling as he looked into her sapphire eyes.
"Yeah . . . I think we will . . ."
…
…
. . . Fin . . .
Author's rant:
. . . yes ladies and gents, tis the end of this story . . . or should I say Volume. There will be a sequel! Just when will I begin this story, I'm not too sure yet but I will be taking a break from writing for at least a few weeks (got to crank for the last stretch of the semester)
And here I say my sincerest thanks to everyone who chose to read my story and support it. It means the world to me knowing that my efforts bring enjoyment to others! Thank YOU!
Now then . . . To tide everyone over/ and build hype for the next instalment, I have decided to create a side series of sorts that will tie into the main story (at least from the second volume and on). This side series will have events relavent to the main story but will serve to deepen the character backstory and tie in other events happening on the side that I can't give to much focus in the main story. This side series will also let me add more elements of comedy or . . . adult themes I have elected to keep out of the main story.
This side story title, Behind the Shadows: Stories Untold, is scheduled to posted Sunday, the next week following this week, and will already have the first 4 chapters (these will cover a period between the end of this volume and a tease/sneak peek for the next volume).
Just so you know, you can go on reading the main story without this additional story and still enjoy it. The side story is simply an extra for those who wish to read it while allowing me to focus more development into characters getting sidelined.
As I've said before, I hope you all enjoyed and look forward to this coming sequel!
Goodbye, for now, Jbubu
