FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE
PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Salt and Sanctuary belongs to SKA studios.
Chapter 22: The Witch
"What was that?" Kaira asked, looking in the direction of the loud sound.
"Probably another cave in." Carsejaw answered as he fiddled with the bomb. "These caves aren't exactly new, you know?"
Kaira rolled her eyes and turned back to watching the faunus continue about. Being placed in these caves was dull. There was no fun. She was ordered to hold back on killing, and it was the worst.
"I'm so bored." Saira complained.
"I know. Fortunately for us, the train leaves today." Carsejaw replied. "Then we meet with Lord Azredak and move on to the next phase of his plan."
"Oh, good. When does the train leave?" Saira asked.
"I'd say, an hour or so. Torchwick and his ward have been set to defend the train, as per Azredak's orders. This plan is set for failure." Carsejaw stated, a smile in his voice. "All we're waiting on is the train to be loaded for 'transport'."
"Yay." Saira responded, before floating out of the train car.
"Indeed, yay." Carsejaw muttered to himself as he finished with the wires on the bomb.
The large being left the train car. Saira was floating over a couple of faunus, watching them far too intently. Another group was loading weapons and Dust onto the train. A third group was preparing the engine. The large cargo train was almost ready to go. With this plan, perhaps Azredak would remove his angered gaze away from Carsejaw. Fortunately for Carsejaw, the Coveted had not been completely destroyed.
Carsejaw began making his way around the operation. The city above would have been preferable to the shifting rocks of these caves. Carsejaw felt a shudder spread through his body. He had never liked the underground. The Blackest Vault in Tristin had seen to that. Nevertheless, Lord Azredak's word was law.
Still though, the carved buildings in these caves were quite a sight to behold. The last stronghold for the people that lived on the mountain above. A shame that it had come crashing down. It would have been a sight in its heyday.
Carsejaw's eyes scanned the rooftops. Sometimes, faunus would hide up there to take a break from labor. It was annoying, but it couldn't be helped. Dustborn were weak compared to the Darkborn. That did leave him wondering though. Two faunus had been sent topside for a routine patrol. Where were they? They should have been back by now.
"Saira!" Carsejaw called.
The witch turned and floated down to the Cruel.
"Yes?" She asked in a sickly-sweet voice.
"I'm going up to look around. It would seem our patrol has gone missing." Carsejaw stated.
"Don't take too long now. We both need to see this train off." Saira replied.
Carsejaw nodded and made his way through the tunnels of Mountain Glenn. Any of the White Fang he came across would quickly clear a path for him. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of his Scharfrichter. The black sword was deceptively light and incredibly sharp. Carsejaw smiled at the memories. When he was Duke of Tristin, rumors of his blade would spread. Some believed it to be so sharp that it could cut the very fabric of space itself. Such rumors all mounted to nothing, but the stories did spread fear of his name. The blade that Azredak had granted him, a remade Scharfrichter, was certainly a comfort in his hands, being one of the few things he found familiar in this world.
The moon was shining brightly overhead. The shattered sphere proved to be more than adequate in Carsejaw's search for the missing patrol. The two faunus, should they be following the standard patrol route would have headed North before sweeping through the city ruins. Being far larger and faster than many in this world, Carsejaw quickly began his own sweep looking for the wayward members of the Fang.
His annoyance only grew as he had to stop and kill Beowolves at many of the street corners. Fortunately for the dwindling Beowolf population, he found the two missing patrolmen. Unfortunately, he didn't find them alive. It appeared to be a Grimm attack. Slashes and gouges in the bodies and the ground indicated Grimm. A large Grimm too.
He stood and began making his way back towards the caves when something caught his eye. A dim glow was coming from one of the buildings. A dim glow that looked to be that of a fire. Carsejaw quickly made his way to the building. It didn't take him long to find the source of the glow. A small, smoldering fire. Evidence of a campsite. Carsejaw scowled. They had an intruder.
With his patrol done, the duke quickly returned to the underground train.
"So, what did you find?" Saira asked as he returned.
"Our patrol appears to have been ambushed by one of the Grimm." Carsejaw answered.
"Shame. I could have had so much fun with their bodies." She said.
"Yes, but I also found evidence of an intruder." Carsejaw continued.
"Really?" Saira asked, her excitement building.
"Indeed, and if I were to hedge my bets, I'd say that Jaret has somehow found out about this operation and sent his loyal lapdog to hunt us down." Carsejaw said.
"I hope so. That blasted Saltborn still has my staff." Saira said.
"And Azredak's helm." Carsejaw added.
"That too. Say, did he ever say why he wanted that back?" Saira inquired.
"No. He didn't. I don't think it really matters though." Carsejaw said. "We should get this train ready to go."
"YOU HEARD THE MAN!" Saira yelled. "UP AND AT 'EM, FIVE MINUTES UNTIL DEPARTURE!"
"Thank you for that." Carsejaw said. "Now, I'm going to make myself scarce, feel free to join us after dealing with the Saltborn."
"With pleasure." Saira said with a smile.
…/…
"That can't be good." Pyrrha stated. "Where do these tracks lead?"
"They lead right into the heart of Vale." Oobleck answered. "But the only station between here and there was demolished and sealed off years ago."
"I'll bet they know." Weiss said, rejoining the group.
"How do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"We went ahead to see if we could find the front of the train. The engine is heavily armored. It looks more like a giant battering ram than a cargo train." Spectre supplied.
"But why would they ram right into the heart of Vale?" Blake asked.
"I don't know. They do seem to have loaded a lot of weapons up though." Pyrrha stated.
"True, but I'm more worried about the Witch." Spectre said, pointing at the floating woman in the brown dress.
"Is she from the island?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah, Saira the Witch of the lake. Lots of power and experience in magic and dark arts. Deformed her body beyond recognition through Salt Alkymancy." Spectre explained.
"Salt Alkymancy?" Blake asked.
"A magic that uses the Salt. Unlike my ability, it is limited in its offensive output. However, it is primarily used to create artificial beings with the Salt." Spectre quickly explained. "Let's worry about the task at hand."
"Agreed." Oobleck said.
"I think we should try and get on the train." Ruby suggested. "Try and stop it from reaching Vale."
"Good idea, but we should try and sneak aboard. It wouldn't do for them to see us before we want them to." Weiss said. "Spectre, you got anything that can disguise us?"
"No, but I think I might be able to cause a diversion." Spectre said. "I'm thinking if I cause a large enough explosion out towards the back of the train, it might buy us enough time to get aboard."
"That could work." Ruby said. "Alright, everyone get ready to move. Spectre, on your mark."
Spectre nodded and pulled Saira's Staff off his back. He aimed at a pile of Dust crates, readied a fireball spell, and fired. The ball of flame flew through the air and hit the boxes. People took notice and quickly began trying to douse the flame. Unfortunately for them, the magic fire managed to ignite the dust. A loud explosion rocked the cavern. More White Fang and even Saira took notice.
The team and the professor quickly took advantage of the situation and ran towards the train. The six made it on and quickly hid in one of the cargo cars. They waited, silent and still as Saira shouted to the group.
"We'll deal with this later. Get the train moving!" She commanded.
The team breathed a sigh of relief as the train began moving. That is until they noticed the device on the corner ceiling of the train car.
"What is that?" Spectre asked as the black screen on the device flipped on.
A small timer appeared and started counting down.
"That appears to be a bomb." Oobleck said. "They're going to blast their way into Vale! We need to get out of here!"
The group quickly exited the car. The roof of the cavern was a good distance above them.
"Blake! Disconnect the cars!" Ruby ordered as they leapt to the next car.
The cat faunus nodded and dropped between the cars and prepared to shoot the connection point when the car disconnected on its own.
"We've got a problem!" She heard Weiss yell. "This car has a bomb too!"
"They've all got bombs!" Ruby yelled from further down the way.
"The car disconnected itself!" Blake yelled.
"What? Why?" Oobleck asked in response.
A loud boom drew the group's attention. The car they were just in had blown up. The force of the blast appeared to be aimed at the wall and roof of the cavern. Rocks and dirt were shaken loose from the blast.
"They're trying to bring down the cave?!" Weiss yelled incredulously as the roof began caving in.
"Looks like it!" Oobleck said. "But why? These tracks aren't used anymore."
"Question later, act now!" Spectre yelled. "We have to stop this train before it reaches Vale!"
"Agreed. Forward!" Oobleck yelled.
Another car disconnected and blew up. Spectre looked up and could see cracks beginning to form along the ceiling. The entire mountain and land between Mountain Glenn and Vale would soon be nothing more than a giant ravine marring the landscape.
Another boom was heard. This one, though, was different. It didn't sound like the blast of a bomb. Spectre looked behind to see something rapidly approaching. An orange light appeared in front of it and blasted part of the ceiling away. Spectre groaned as they leapt to the next car. The Witch of the Lake had found them.
A burst of flame erupted on the train, separating Spectre from the rest of his team. The others turned back to Spectre. Weiss readied some dust to try and contain the fire.
"Go on ahead!" Spectre commanded, "I'll take care of her."
The Witch was soon upon him. Her smile was as hideous as he remembered it. Spectre glanced to the left and right only to see any escape roots blocked off. Fire had erupted on the front and back of the train car he was currently trapped on.
"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. A wayward thief hoarding his stolen valuables and trying to take more." Saira said, her sweet voice disgusting the Saltborn.
"That statement couldn't be anymore wrong." Spectre said.
"Maybe, maybe not. You do have something of mine. I want it back." Saira said.
"Get in line." Spectre deadpanned.
"I said Give. It. Back." Saira repeated, pulling out her replacement staff.
"And I said no." Spectre responded.
"FINE." The Witch growled, her voice distorting as her magic fueled the staff.
Spectre rolled as Saira began firing bolts of black magic at him. He readied his own spells but couldn't get a bead on the witch who had learned from last time. The witch moved around far more erratically than Spectre remembered. He scowled and fired a Dark Coil from his staff. The red sphere floated for a second before releasing its own homing bolts on the witch.
Saira's smile grew wider as she held out her hand in front of her. A white arcane circle appeared and expanded into a shield. The bolts impacted her magic shield and dissipated into nothingness.
"Lord Azredak has blessed you with the knowledge of blood magics. How exciting!" Saira said. "That means I don't have to hold back!"
The witch aimed her staff at Spectre and fired a Dark reach at the Saltborn. Spectre rolled out of the way only to be forced down by the impact of three Dark Arrows. The sound of charging electricity alerted him of the next attack. He rolled aside as a lightning bolt slammed into the metal where he was just lying.
The Saltborn growled and prepared an incantation. Raising a hand over his head, a blue arcane circle appeared on the ground as a Static Geist began flying about and pelting Saira with electricity. The Witch looked at it more annoyed than anything else. She quickly dispelled the conjured protector.
Spectre smiled as he had a good bead on Saira. Heat began amassing at the end of the staff and Spectre let loose the Dragonfire. The flames roared through the air at the Witch of the Lake. Saira was shocked as she was engulfed in flames. Spectre held them until he felt the fire beginning to burn his body.
He released the spell and withdrew his flask of bottled sky and clarity. Downing both the liquids in quick succession, he looked up at Saira. To say the witch was pissed would be like saying there's water in the ocean. Burns appeared on her body and her clothing had completely burned away. Spectre was surprised.
She was clearly not what you could call human. Her flesh was horribly mutated. At her waist, instead of two legs were a multitude of blood red and black bug-like legs. They twitch about madly. Her upper body was just as mutilated as her lower body. The torso of the witch was also blood red and black. However, Spectre couldn't make heads or tails of the writhing mass of flesh that was her torso. The only parts of her body that remained somewhat normal was her head and arms.
He was moderately surprised to see that the witch had long black hair and blood red eyes. Her face now bore a hideous scowl. She raised a hand, palm out, and gathered magic into it.
"Now you've gone and done it." She growled; her voice having taken on a strange ethereal echo.
Spectre's eyes widened as a massive wave of black energy flew from her hand and slammed into the side roof of the train. The Saltborn rolled under it, only to be hit by another wave of energy.
He scowled and rolled under a third wave. This was getting ridiculous. Upon reaching his feet had fired another wave of Dragonfire at the witch. Saira didn't even flinch as she raised her hand and conjured another arcane shield to defend herself. The flames spread out and the witch remained unaffected. Spectre switched to his lightning barrage and began firing.
Saira scowled once more as she blocked the many bolts of lightning. She raised her staff and fired a Dark Coil. Spectre's attention focused on the crimson orb as he ran around the limited space to dodge the bolts the orb fired at him. Saira smiled as she summoned a Dark Swarm. The black spirits locked onto their target and launched themselves at Spectre. The Saltborn rolled to the side and avoided them, much to Saira's displeasure.
She growled and Spectre again had to roll out of the way as Saira began swinging at the Saltborn. Her left hand had morphed into a red and white, sickle like appendage. She slashed at the Saltborn and created gouges in the train. Spectre, being so focused on dodging the wild flailing attacks didn't notice them.
He rolled behind the witch, sheathed his staff and unholstered the Mosaic Culverin. He came to his feet as Saira turned around. Spectre fired and a glowing shot slammed into Saira's body. She scowled and fired another dark reach at the Saltborn. Spectre rolled again. He was actually moderately worried now.
Saira was proving to be far more durable than before. He willed the Salt to listen to him and fired a Salt imbued bullet at the witch. A white flash emanated from the muzzle of the gun before quickly burning away. The witch raised a shield to block the projectile. To both of their surprise, the bullet slammed through the shield and pierced the witch in her right eye. Blood spurted from the cavity as she screamed in pain.
She collapsed onto the roof of the car she and Spectre had been fighting on. Spectre breathed a sigh of relief as the witch slowly got to her feet. Her right eye socket was bleeding heavily. Black magical tendrils were flowing across her body and into the socket. She looked down and smiled.
Spectre couldn't react as Saira summoned a single spirit from the Dark Swarm and forced it to hit the train at Spectre's foot. The Saltborn fell forward as his foot fell through the roof. Saira stood up and floated off the train, magic still aimed at the Saltborn.
"It would seem you are too late." She said, dispelling the magic in her hand.
Spectre looked at her confused, until he looked ahead. The train was gone. He looked down and could see the gashes. He looked through and saw a bomb. The timer ticking down. A mere ten seconds from zero. Saira smirked and floated back as the train car continued to speed forward.
"Dammit." Spectre cursed as he braced himself for the pain that was sure to come.
The bomb detonated and the explosion threw him into the wall of the cave. He looked up in time to see parts of the cave raining down from above. He groaned and tried to crawl away. He made it far enough to avoid the majority of the collapsing cave. He cried out in pain as a boulder landed on his legs. He looked down to see he was truly pinned. The world was beginning to fade.
"Such potential. You would have been a worthy acolyte." Saira said as she floated down, her dress and hat having been conjured around her mutilated body.
Spectre looked at her. She was bending down over him. She slowly removed her staff from his back. The staff she had been using was dropped next to him.
"Even without my staff, you have such a unique power." Saira said, admiring the wicked looking tool.
"And yet, it still failed."
Spectre and Saira looked back towards the tracks. Saira bowed to the Scarecrow while Spectre focused on the helm just in front of where it stood.
"I must offer it congratulations, Saira." Azredak said, Saira beaming at the praise. "Not only has it managed to recover my helm; it has also removed the most annoying variable from the equation."
Spectre looked around and despaired. The roof was fine, he was pinned, both directions of the cave were collapsed, and he was blacking out.
"Now, return to me. We have much to do." Azredak said as the Scarecrow vanished.
"As you wish, My Lord." Saira responded to the empty.
The last thing Spectre saw was her picking up Azredak's Helm. Darkness covered her as she disappeared and Spectre fell into unconsciousness.
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Data Log BOS022
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