The Wendigo
While the group didn't know what Oz was talking about as he ran past them, telling them to run, the sound of something lumbering up to them, something big, dissuaded them from protesting. They all quickly burst out of the house into the weather, and just in time, as the house exploded outward. The creature that appeared out of the wreckage made their skin crawl.
The Wendigo was a tall creature, even taller than Darkness as it rose to stand on two legs. It had a a deathly thin, humanoid body, that almost bordered on emaciated, and had long arms and legs, also equally thin, with large hands with massive claws. In place of feet, it had a pair of cervine hooves. Going down its back was an exposed spine, and it's head resembled a deformed deer skull, with a massive pair of antlers coming from it's head.
"What is that thing?" Qrow demanded, asking the question on everyone's mind.
"Its name is Juracan," a female voice suddenly said. But the voice was strange, like it was being carried on the wind.
"It's a being created by the God of Darkness to bring destruction to creation," the voice continued, as light began to gather in the storm, "But you mortals call it a 'Wendigo'." The light then coalesced into a humanoid shape, which turned into a feminine figure, that seemed to be made of glowing white energy. It had long dark hair and dark eyes and yellow pupils. It had pointed ears with an earring in one, and had a white tunic with a white strap over it's breasts. This time, they could all recognize that this being was a Spirit.
"Greetings," she said, smiling cruelly down at the mortals as she floated beside the Wendigo, apparently named Juracan, who growled aggressively, apparently being restrained by the Spirit.
"Who are you?" Jaune shouted.
"My name is Shaushka," the Spirit answered, "A being created by the God of Light…"
"To steward his creation, yeah, yeah," Nora said, "We heard it before." The Spirit didn't seem to like being interrupted, but she still chuckled slightly.
"Color me impressed, you certainly went at each other much quicker than the last group," Shauskha said, leaning down towards the mortals, "The last ones took at least a couple weeks to start trying to rip each other apart."
"The last ones?" Ren asked.
"You mean the people who built the farm?" Blake asked.
"I was really happy to see you guys showing up," Shauskha continued, as she floated up to lean on the Wendigo's head, which continued to growl at the people in front of it, "You had weapons you could use when killing each other; that always makes for a more entertaining sight than a few farmhands stabbing each other with their kitchen tools."
"Why are you doing this?" Ilia blurted out. The Spirit looked at her for a time, as she cocked her head.
"No reason," she answered, shrugging slightly, "Just something to pass the time." Ilia couldn't even answer; were these really the beings she once worshipped?
"Well, talking is also proving kind of boring," Shauskha said, floating off the Wendigo's head, "and Juracan's getting impatient." The Wendigo let out a hiss that sounded like a tortured breath. However, before sicking them on the mortals, Shauskha noticed something about Oz, or more specifically the lamp on his hip.
"What is this?" she said, leaning forward. Oz instinctively put a hand on the lamp, as he glared at the being, who narrowed her eyes. She recognized the power in that.
"Spare that one," she whispered to Juracan, "Do what you will with the others." The Wendigo then held up its head, and howled, before bringing down it's hand.
"Scatter!" Qrow shouted, which the group quickly. Yang, however, leapt at Juracan, punching down. She landed a direct it, but the the thing didn't even flinch, as it snapped it's jaws at her, causing her to half to leap back. In a move to try and distract it, Pyrrha shifted Milo to gun form, and fired, hitting it in the side of the head. Though it did no damage, it did get the Wendigo's attention, which growled as it turned towards Pyrrha. It then advanced on her, only to get struck with Lighting Lash from Ilia. The Lightning Dust stunned it slightly, which Nora seized as opportunity to attack with her hammer.
"I don't think so!" Shauskha said. Suddenly Nora was telekinetically pushed away.
"That's not fair!" Nora protested.
"Only mortals play fair," the Spirit sneered. Juracan was quickly on top of Nora, but Weiss acted quickly to help her partner, creating a glyph under the Wendigo's hoof. This caused it to lose it's footing, and fall skull first into the snow. Ruby then tried to take advantage of the situation, swinging down Crescent Rose, but the Wendigo moved faster than they'd expected, as it swung up it's claw, knocking her away.
"Ruby!" Qrow called, as he switched Harbinger to scythe mode, charging the Grimm as it got back to it's feet. However, the thing thrusts its head forward, causing the scythe to get locked in its antlers. Qrow grappled with it, before the Wendigo managed to throw him away. It then got knocked in the side of the head by Yang, but again, it did surprisingly little damage, and before Yang could react, it seized her in it's claw, and held her to it's face. Yang gagged on it's foul breath. The Wendigo then opened its mouth...
"Yang!" Ruby and Pyrrha cried together as they feared the worst. But instead of chomping down on her, the Wendigo started to drain what looked like yellow light from Yang.
"Is that her... Aura?" Qrow asked. As the Wendigo consumed it, Yang's body slowly began to thin, as her cheeks started to hollow out, and her skin start to wrinkle. Shauskha just smiled cruelly at the sight. Fortunately, Ren was quick to react, as he leapt onto the Wendigo's back, and started hacking away it. That got Juracan angry enough to grab at it's back in an attempt to get Ren off of him, causing it to drop Yang.
"Yang!" Pyrrha said as she ran over to her partner with Ruby and Qrow. Yang just weakly groaned in response. Before the three could say anything in response, the Wendigo was on top of them, swinging its claws. Qrow picked up Yang, and managed to avoid it. Nora then pressed her attack against the Wendigo, only to be suddenly frozen in air by the magic of Shauskha.
"Eat up, my friend," she said to Juracan. The Wendigo then opened its maw, and started doing the same it did to Yang to Nora, and the same thing started happening to her.
"NO!" Ren cried, as he ran at the beast, and leapt up at it. However, Juracan proved remarakbly fast for its size, as it snatched Ren in mid air, and started to consume his Aura as well.
"Yes... yes...," Shauksha said, as the Spirit watched, "Bring these vermin back down to where they all belong." It was then that the Wendigo sucked in deep, and suddenly all the group doubled over, as it started sucking their Auras.
"I feel so... weak," Ilia groaned.
"It's like it's consuming our life force," Blake said.
"Because that's exactly what it's doing," Oz said, as he tried to stand up, but even he was having trouble, as everyone else was, save for one. Jaune slowly pulled himself to his feet, and dragged himself forward. With Juracan focused entirely an eating, and Shauskha too busy enjoying the sight, neither noticed as he held up his sword to one of the Grimm's lowered hands, and slashed down.
The Wendigo howled in pain, as it stumbled back, it's right hand devoid a couple fingers. It kicked out with one its hooves, getting a direct hit on Jaune.
"Jaune!" Ruby and Weiss cried out, as they were freed from the Wendigo's hold. Ruby was the first to act, as she fired a round at the side of Juracan's head, getting it's attention.
"Of there you overgrown deer!" Ruby suddenly shouted. She figured she could move the fasted, so she'd be the best off against the monster. The Wendigo took the bait, as it roared. Ruby activated her Semblance to get ahead, but Juracan fell to all fours, and bounded after her. To her shock, the Grimm actually kept pace with her, storming through the trees.
"You dumb beast!" Shauskha shouted angrily. The Wendigo howled again, but didn't pay any attention. Shauskha snorted as she followed after it, noticing the girl
"Keep trying, mortal!" Shauskha called mockingly, "No one can outrun Juracan!" Ruby wasn't about to give up just because a wannabe god was shouting at her, as she tired to keep her pace. She activated her Semblance, but the Wendigo was still able to keep pace, until suddenly, as she running, she tripped on a rock, and fell flat on her face. In almost an instant, rancid breath filled her nostrils, as she slowly looked up to see the Wendigo's snout in her face. Ruby would've screamed as the thing loomed over her, but found herself to weak as the creature started to consume her Aura again.
"RUBY!" several voices cried at once. However, the Wendigo suddenly screamed in pain, as it recoiled back. Ruby weakly looked up, to see Weiss on it's back, thrusting Myrtenaster into its shoulder. However, the Wendigo quickly recovered, as it reached back, and threw her off. Weiss crashed into the ground, landing face first, her Aura shattering. Before she could react, the Wendigo was quickly on top of her, ready to devour her Aura again, and with her Aura now severely depleted...
"NO!" Ruby cried, as instinct kicked in and she reached out. Her eyes then exploded with silver light, which seemed to consume the entire area. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the light, but when they lowered it, they greeted by quite a sight.
The Wendigo was now solid rock, frozen in the position it was in while attacking Weiss. After a moment, it slowly broke apart, until all that remained of the fiend was a pile of rubble. Everyone could only stare at the sight, save Oz, who took a relaxed breath. Shauskha was also shocked by the sight; she had heard of the Silver Eyed warriors, but she never thought them of any consequence. But now….
"This isn't over mortals!" she shouted, as she turned into a wisp of white light, and vanished. Once she was gone, the storm quickly faded, as if it was never even there.
"Weiss!" Ruby called as she ran over to her, "Are you okay?"
"I think so," Weiss said, rubbing her head.
"Well," Oz said, as he came up to them, "I think we have quite a bit to discuss."
(in the Land of Darkness)
Talos leaned against the wall of his room, his forehead pressed against it. His room in Salem's castle was in one of the lowest levels, away from the organics, just as he liked it. His room as rather bare, only consisting of an open space where his multiple bodies stood when they weren't being occupied. He didn't really need anything else; he didn't need sleep or rest, and any information he wanted he could just store in his memory banks. And at the time, he was accessing those memory banks, shifting through memories, old memories.
Reaching up, he removed his face plate, exposing his normal face. An image then projected out of his eyes; an image of his sister. The projection didn't speak, but the image of Penny simply turned in Talos direction and smiled. His hands turned into fists. He wasn't supposed to be feeling like this; feelings were organic flaws.
"Talos." The android was incapable of flinching, but would've if he could.
"Your Grace," he said, as he turned to the Seer that had floated into his room.
"You've always insisted that you are devoid of emotions," Salem said, "And yet here you are, fuming like a hurt child."
"It is a personal matter," Talos answered.
"I don't have time for your 'personal matters'," Salem said. Talos leaned back up as he deactivated the projection, and put his faceplate back on, turning towards the Seer.
"Did you know about Emerald's role in my sister's death?" he asked.
"Whether or not I did is completely irrelevant," the witch answered bluntly, "I am under no obligation to explain myself to you."
"If it concerns me…."
"Incorrect," Salem interrupted, "What concerns you is not the least bit important. The only thing that matters is my concern; it is though me, and only me, that you're goals will be realized. Be assured, you'll get what you want; Atlas will burn, and you'll have the best possible seat to watch as it does. But in the meantime, I would prefer that you not start killing the others in this castle. Is that clear?" Talos said, nothing as he stared at the Seer for a time.
"I do hate repeating myself. I said, is that…." This time, it was Salem who was interrupted, as Talos thrust one of his blades though the Seer, destroying it.
"I'm tired waiting on your schedule," he said to the remains as they turned to ash, knowing she could still hear him, "I'll have my own revenge on both Atlas, and those who murdered my sister." He knew he couldn't go after those in the castle yet, but Pyrrha was still out there, and she still bore half the responsibility for what had happened to Penny. He would kill her first, and when he was done, he'd come back, and claim not just Emerald's head, but also Cinder's, and Salem's…
(at Brunswick Farms)
….so hungry….
Oz snapped the journal shut, as he completed the final entry.
"So, that's it then?" Qrow asked, as he sat on the steps beside Oz. With the storm having finally broke with Shauskha gone, the group was all too eager to leave the place behind them, once their Auras all recovered. Pyrrha was helping Yang set up trailer and link it to her motorcycle so they could head out. Having finally finished the book, Oz now understood what really had happened. Apparently the Wendigo was able to consume the Auras of anyone who was close to it, and that manifested in hunger for the people it was happening to. It certainly explained everything that was happening.
"So it would seem," Oz said, as he set the book on the porch for whoever would find it next, "The Spirit must've brought the Wendigo into the waterways under the property, where it took up residence. And then she kept the storm going so as to keep the people trapped on the property, while the Wendigo continued to lurk right beneath their feet. Between the Grimm, and the tension, I guess it's no wonder that things happened the way they did. Bartleby should've taken his family and left the moment he got word the creature was in the area."
"It took them weeks to start tearing each other apart," Qrow said, "How'd we last such a short time?"
"Our group was already fraught with doubt and confusion," Oz said, "I think we were all already under such emotional strain, it wasn't hard for us to turn on each other." Qrow sighed, as he pulled out his refilled flask, and took a swig. This was not good sign for him, if they so easily turned on each other the way they did.
"Why wasn't Jaune affected the way the others were?" Oscar asked. Oz looked in Jaune's direction, as he helped roll a new tire up to the trailer.
"Actually I'd guess he was, but since he has such an exceptioanlly large Aura, it would take much longer for him the feelings to manifest in him," he answered, before chuckling, "Maybe there's a reason the God of Darkness actually came for him."
As the there were talking, Weiss was sitting by the well, staring in the direction the Wendigo's remains were. Though she knew it was gone, she doubted she'd ever forget a creature like that; its breath, its howl, and the feeling of having her Aura literally pulled out of her the way it was.
"Weiss." The girl in white glanced up, to see Ruby slowly coming up to her, staring at the ground.
"Yes?"
"I… I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
"It's okay," Weiss said, "It's not like I was really helping the situation. But we were both under the influence of the Grimm." Somehow, that didn't make Ruby feel any better about it. Her spirits were lifted somewhat though by the sight of Jaune coming up to them.
"Hey Ruby, Weiss," he said, holding up his hand, "Can I…. you know." Both girls' hearts skipped the beat. They knew what this was about. Both were almost afraid to hear what he said to say, but nonetheless, they followed him away from the main group.
"So…," Weiss said slowly, "What is it?"
"I… I've been giving some thought to what you guys told me," he said.
"Okay," Weiss said not sure where he was going with all this.
"Both of you are some of the nicest, prettiest, and most wonderful girls I've ever met," he said, "And I don't want to hurt either of you." The girls exchanged a look at that. Weiss would've told him to get to the point, but after what he just said about how wonderful she was, she thought it wouldn't do any good.
"But the truth is…," Jaune said slowly, "I… I…. can't decide."
"Huh?" both girls said, including Weiss, to her slight embarrassment.
"So… you mean you aren't sure?" Ruby asked slowly, as if she was afraid of the answer.
"I can't decide because I like both of you," Jaune added. That made Ruby's heart flutter and Weiss' heart skip. He liked both of them? Was this really what their confession was amounting to? The three stood in silence of a while, before the white-haired girl finally spoke up.
"Well then," Weiss said slowly, "I guess that's that, then."
"What?" Ruby asked.
"It's not as if Jaune can choose both of us," Weiss said
"Well… why not?" Ruby said. That got her friends to both look at her.
"Why not what?" Jaune asked.
"I was just thinking, why don't you try being with both of us?" Ruby asked, shifting on her feet, "I think we can find a way for it to work."
"Eh?" Jaune asked dumbly, as he stared at her equally dumb. Weiss just stared at Ruby in surprise.
"You're kidding, right?" she asked.
"Well, no," Ruby said, "Jaune can spend time with both of us, go on dates with one of us sometimes."
"It's not that easy," she said, "How would you feel if I suddenly took Jaune away for a night?" Ruby's brow furrowed, but she took a breath.
"You're my friend, Weiss," she finally said, "I know you wouldn't hurt him in anyway." And though it was unspoken, Weiss knew the same was true about Ruby. That got her thinking, was this sort of relationship possible? In theory, she supposed it was, but in practice….
"And if it doesn't work out," Ruby said, "I'll be the first to walk away." Those words hit Weiss hard, as she opened her mouth to protest, but found she couldn't. If Ruby was willing to try this, then maybe there could be a chance.
"Well, I guess we won't know unless we try," she said. That just left the response of the guy in question, as the two girls looked at him, awaiting his decision on the matter.
For his own, Jaune was rather befuddled by the suggestion; he had meant what he said when he said that both Ruby and Weiss were wonderful woman. But dating both of them at once? That seemed a little… extreme. But as he thought about it, a specific thought came to mind: those girls both cared about enough that they were willing to try and make a double relationship work. How many girls were willing to go that far? Maybe they were even more wonderful than Jaune original thought.
"Well…," he said slowly, "If you girls want to give it a try…" Both Ruby and Weiss looked at him in surprise, before Ruby practically tackled him.
"Thank you! Thank you!" she said happily, before she gave her new boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. Jaune couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her antics, as he got to his feet, Ruby still latched onto this, until she got off to allow Weiss her own chance to embrace him. The heiress then gave him her own kiss on the cheek. That was when a thought came to Ruby's mind.
"Who get's the first kiss on the lips?" Ruby asked. Weiss paused, as she seemed to think.
"Flip a coin?" she suggested.
(in Salem's room)
Salem watched passively as a green light vanished into the clouds. She knew exactly who that was; the commotion in the lower reaches made it rather obvious. As she was watching, the same red mist gathered around, and seemed to loom over her shoulder.
"Won't you go after him?" the being asked.
"Not yet," Salem answered, "He's not worth the effort."
"He may prove a problem in the future."
"All he is is a child throwing a tantrum," Salem answered plainly, "He won't be able to accomplish his goal without me, and I know where he's going. He's strong to be sure, but against Tyrian, Arthur, Magenta, and Crane all at once? Even he would crumble before them." The being was silent for a time.
"Very well," he eventually said, "I suppose it is of no real consequence to me or my brethren." Salem glanced at the mist, as it started to float away, but said nothing. She then turned as she walked over to a shelf in the room, removing the stuffed dog from her robes again. She then set it on a shelf, beside three orbs, one blue, one orange, and one pink.
"Soon," she muttered softly, caressing one of the orbs, "Soon…"
Note: You'll notice there wasn't an "Old Ones" short this chapter. I had actually meant to take a break before Neith's short, but I completely forgot about it. So we'll be taking a break here.
So the pairing's finally been decided: it's Jaune x Ruby and Weiss. Yeah, I decided to roll the dice, and give it a try. The honest reason, is I didn't want either of those wonderful girls to have their hearts broken. I have a plan for how it'll turn out, and I think it can work. So, just have a little faith for the time being.
With that, the Brunswick Farm arc is over, and I'll go over my inspiration at the end of the volume. Juracan was the name given by the conquistadors to an American deity associated with storms and chaos, Shauskha was a Hittite deity associated with fertility.
So Talos is leaving Salem to pursue his own revenge, and he seems to be starting with going after Pyrrha (the "easy" prey in his mind). Is that rational? Maybe not, but it's not like he's a purely rational being. And for the record, getting revenge for Penny was never Talos' sole motivation. If you remember, back when he was planning to assassinate Lin, he stopped when he saw Pyrrha, and that was when he started obsessing over her and his revenge. He has more motivation, which you'll see eventually.
On that note, a few people brought up that Hazel was being a hypocrite for stopping Talos from attacking Emerald. Yeah, that's exactly the point. If there's one word I'd use to describe Hazel, it'd be "hypocrite". He calls Ozpin a monster for having Oscar as an incarnation before absolving himself of all wrong doing, and then proceeds to shout at him again about letting children being harmed while torturing Nora (of course it didn't do any real good, but the point stands). I really think he'd have no opposition to crushing anything in the way of getting his own revenge, but won't let his erstwhile comrades be harmed by those seeking their own revenge.
Be sure to review.
I'll quickly note that, I'm not going to wait for the next volume of RWBY. I've got my own ending and progression of events for this fanfic, so no need.
