FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE
PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Salt and Sanctuary belongs to SKA studios.
Chapter 39: The Island
"This reminds me too much of initiation!" Weiss yelled over the wind.
Spectre just chuckled as he balanced himself on Hades' back. Weiss was wrapped, rather tightly around Hades' swishing tale. Ruby laughed giddily as she rode on the head of her new pet.
Shortly before taking off from Aurum, Ruby had shown Spectre the blueprints she had used. True to her word, they were more diagrams than anything else. Really easy to follow diagrams. Still, Spectre wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
At Ruby's command, Hades was flying them to Menagerie. Though, Spectre did think she was way too happy to be in command of such a terrifying monstrosity. At the same time, he couldn't fault her. If had command of such a monster, he'd be pretty giddy too.
"You need to loosen up, Weiss." Spectre yelled back. "Just look at Ruby!"
"I don't think she's entirely sane!" Weiss called.
Spectre just laughed louder.
A blast of fire slammed into Hades' wing. The giant obedient Grimm roared in pain as a burnt hole appeared in the membrane. Spectre watched as tendrils of darkness spread out over the hole and repaired the damage.
"Reconstitution: Success." Spectre muttered.
"WE'VE GOT COMPANY!" Ruby yelled. "HANG ON!"
Spectre looked behind them. A small number of Kraekan Wyrms were flying after them and gaining quickly. They may have been dwarfed by Hades, but they were still a moderate threat. Hades banked to the left. Unfortunately, considering the Grimm's size, Hades was not the most agile of flyers. However, the turn was enough that Ruby and Spectre were able to get a good bead on the Wyrms.
Ruby had already taken to firing her scythe's sniper rifle, nailing Wyrms in the head with each shot. Spectre's culverin was a fantastic deterrent, but it severely lacked the effective accuracy at range, a problem that Ruby didn't have. Fortunately, the effective range of the Wyrms fire was about the same as that of Spectre's culverin. So, he could at least spare Hades some pain in his wings.
"Ruby!" Spectre yelled. "Keep us heading towards Menagerie!"
Ruby nodded and took a quick break from firing. Hades banked to the right to continue the flight towards Menagerie. Ruby immediately started firing at the Wyrms again. They were getting closer. Weiss had managed to steady herself on the Hades' back and was launching dust attacks as accurately as she could.
A Kraekan Wyrm roared in pain as one of its wings froze. It began falling towards the seas below. The Wyrms, seeming to realize they were outgunned, paused their assault. With little warning, they turned and flew away.
"I never would have thought they had a self-preservation instinct." Weiss stated.
"An odd happenstance, but a welcome one." Spectre replied.
They settled to rest on Hades' back as their flight continued. It took a little over an hour, but they came upon the island of Menagerie, and to say it looked uncomfortably familiar would be an understatement. A twisted homage to Remnant lay before them. Beacon tower rose tall and proud from the town below. Various other buildings and structures to represent Remnant surrounded. Warehouses lined the docks, manors and stately houses lined the roads. More worryingly, though, were the people Spectre could see shambling through the streets. They appeared to be little more than zombies, not unlike the drowned from Azredak's island back on Salis.
There were three easily recognizable figures though. A larger dark mass was walking along, followed by a brown mass. The faint glint of white from an old familiar cane drew Spectre's eye. He scowled at the two he assumed to be Carsejaw the Cruel and the Witch of the Lake.
However, those two were not the most pressing concern. Far more dangerous than those two, was the massive dragon that intercepted their path. A veritable storm of electricity laced fire blew right in next to them. Spectre presumed it was more to get their attention than anything else. Skourzh rose from the sea and roared at them. Hades responded to the challenge in kind.
Skourzh easily dwarfed Hades, just as Hades had dwarfed the Wyrms. Spectre growled as Skourzh swung his trident at Hades. The Grimm dove to avoid it.
"Weiss, Spectre, you two get to the ground. Hades and I got this!" Ruby yelled as they dove closer to the ground.
"You heard the captain!" Spectre joked as they neared the street level.
Weiss rolled her eyes and jumped off, closely following the Saltborn. Spectre rolled as he landed. He looked up as Weiss came to a stop beside him. Carsejaw and Saira were glaring at them. Saira's glare lightened as a smile graced her face.
With a woosh of air, Hades took to the skies once more. Ruby was still on his head and already firing at Skourzh.
"Oh, joy. Our playthings have finally arrived." Saira cackled, a sinister smile gracing her face.
"You take the heiress, I've a score to settle with the Saltborn." Carsejaw said, ignoring his partner.
"And he probably has a score to settle with me." Saira replied with glee.
Spectre and Weiss just glanced at each. Spectre shrugged. The two readied their weapons and charged. Saira and Carsejaw were ready. Spectre leapt towards the witch while Weiss focused on the duke.
Saira stabbed her staff at Spectre. A mass of black magic spewed forth. Spectre dart brand jumped to the side, blasting at Saira with his culverin as he did so. The witch was blown back from the force. She scowled and aimed her staff at Spectre. The Saltborn wasn't there. Saira looked around. He had vanished, nothing gave away his presence.
She did see Weiss fighting Carsejaw. The heiress was, surprisingly, able to hold her own quite well. Weiss backstepped, with the help of glyph, to avoid Carsejaw's forceful swings. The Scharfrichter slammed into the pavement. Carsejaw ripped it from the ground and held it to the side. His cloak opened, and Weiss could see the skulls hanging from it. She blanched in disgust before noticing the black circles on the ground.
Carsejaw smiled underneath his helm. Weiss frantically danced around the blades that stabbed up from the ground. The black blades would have torn through her aura had she not avoided them. Weiss breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the blades vanished. Her relief was not to last as Carsejaw slammed his blade once overhead. Weiss raised Myrtenaster in a desperate attempt to block the attack. Carsejaw's sword forced her to her knees. He was mildly surprised that it hadn't flattened the heiress. A glyph under her feet only served to fuel his ire.
Saira had returned to looking for Spectre.
"I didn't take you for a coward, Saltborn!" Saira called out, her gaze sweeping the streets.
"He's not!" Weiss grunted, pushing herself out from under Carsejaw's sword. "He's just getting a better vantage."
Saira was thrown to the ground at the sudden weight that had wrapped itself around her neck. Two black gloved hands had latched onto her staff. Saira growled as Spectre tried to pry the weapon from her hands. A feat the Saltborn was finding far more difficult than anticipated. Saira had a good grip on her staff.
She released one of her hands and slashed it at Spectre. The Salt mutated flesh slashed across Spectre's face. The Saltborn recoiled in pain. She aimed her staff and fired a torrent of electricity at him. Spectre bore the brunt of the attack. It hurt, but he had felt far worse. The attack ended and Spectre had already aimed at Saira. He quickly fired off a multitude of rounds.
The green blasts of the tainted shot forced Saira back. She growled and slammed her staff into the ground. A black arcane circle appeared around the two. Black spirits immediately began flying from the circle and focusing on Spectre. The Saltborn growled and rolled away. The sprites followed. Saira began firing multiple Dark Arrows.
Spectre ran. The arrows and spirits narrowly missing him and impacting the ground behind him as he ran. He leapt at a wall. The Shadowflip brand allowed him to leap off the wall and over the wave of attacks. He rolled through a stream of arrows and under Saira. He quickly popped up, reached around, and grabbed the staff once more. The remaining arrows and spirits slammed into the two of them. Saira cried out in pain.
Ruby, meanwhile, was fairing a fair bit worse against Skourzh. Hades was easily able to avoid Skourzh's attacks, the problem was that they could barely do any damage. Bullets would glance off his skin with nary a mark. They may as well have been mosquitos for all the damage they could do. Ruby slowly built a plan as Hades flew under a swipe of Skourzh's giant trident.
"Keep his attention!" Ruby yelled to her pet. "Let loose. I'm going to try something."
The only signal Ruby got that Hades had understood was a change in flight direction. Hades slammed, headfirst, into the dragon's side and immediately began slashing at the flesh with his talons. Ruby, activating her semblance, ran up the dragon's side. She came to a stop on Skourzh's shoulder.
Skourzh tried to slap Hades away from his side. Hades pushed himself back from the dragon. Skourzh roared at the smaller Grimm. Hades responded in kind and latched onto Skourzh's arm. Skourzh roared and swung his arm around to dislodge the Grimm experiment. Hades held on to Skourzh like his life depended on it.
Ruby switched Crescent Rose back to its scythe form and began slashing at Skourzh's neck in an attempt to behead the giant beast. It was slow going. Each strike dug deeper into Skourzh's hide. It didn't take long for her to find a vein. The Kraekan Dragon seemed to have finally taken notice of the Ruby as it roared. Blood began to flow from the wound. Ruby struck again, and the attack rang true. A veritable fountain of blood erupted from the now gaping wound in Skourzh's neck. Hades had done an excellent job at keeping the dragon's attention.
Ruby whistled for Hades. The Grimm paused from its attack on Skourzh and flew close. Ruby leapt onto Hades as Skourzh breathed his lightning breath at them. The electricity managed to nick Hades' tail, but it quickly regenerated. Hades roared at Skourzh while Ruby loaded fire and lightning dust rounds into her weapon. She smiled as she now had a target.
Down on the ground, Weiss launched a wave of ice to trap Carsejaw. The Cruel quickly sidestepped the attack and stabbed his blade forward. Weiss rolled back, only to see Carsejaw stabbing his blade forward again, only much closer than before. Weiss tried to avoid the attack, but it hit her dead on. Her aura managed to absorb the brunt of the attack, but it still hurt. Saira's scream drew Carsejaw's attention for a brief moment.
Weiss switched to fire dust and lit Carsejaw on fire. Carsejaw quickly turned and slashed at Weiss once more. The heiress was able to avoid the stabs and slashes of the much larger being. Each missed attack only seemed to further enrage Carsejaw.
Spectre pulled Saira's staff closer to her. Right under her neck. His position didn't allow for the Salt witch to gain any leverage. He pulled the staff against her neck and began choking her. He could see Weiss being backed up further and further. He could also see Ruby flying around and shooting at Skourzh. Every so often, Hades would fly in close and bite or slash at the dragon. Waterfalls of black blood were falling into the ocean below.
Spectre carefully maneuvered himself and the witch to be aiming the staff at Carsejaw. He willed the Salt forth to take hold of the staff's power. Saira's eyes widened as she saw the swirling white power envelope the staff. In that second, she lost the connection she felt with her precious weapon. Power coalesced at the end of the staff. A massive fount of fire spewed forth in the direction of Carsejaw. Said being cried out in pain as the inferno of Dragonfire set him alight. Carsejaw turned in rage to see Spectre choking Saira.
He began to advance on the two. Spectre watched in satisfaction as Weiss surged forward and upward. She landed on Carsejaw's shoulders and drove her rapier down through Carsejaw's neck. The blade pierced the flesh between Carsejaw's helm and his cloak. Weiss activated the ice dust in her blade. The sudden ice effectively severed Carsejaw's head.
In Saira's shock, Spectre swung her around and forced her staff from her hands. Saira recovered quickly. She slashed at Spectre. The Saltborn slammed her Salt mutated arm to the side, effectively throwing the witch off balance. He leveled the butt of the staff at her head. Leveling the Mosaic Culverin behind him, he fired it off and surged forward. Forcing the staff through Saira's skull. Spectre growled as the witch slumped on the staff. He yanked it from her skull and blasted her body a few times with the culverin just to be safe.
Ruby smiled as she saw Carsejaw and Saira fall dead. She turned her attention back to the massive dragon. The war of attrition she and Hades had been waging against Skourzh had fallen in their favor. The dragon was swaying from side to side. The blood loss was getting to him. Ruby loaded a gravity dust enhanced bullet and aimed. The crack of her rifle resounded through the air as the bullet sailed into the weakened flesh on Skourzh's neck. Another fountain of blood erupted from the monster as Skourzh roared in pain. His roar quieted as his body fell backwards into the sea.
Ruby smiled as she and Hades landed next to Spectre and Weiss. Ruby slid down Hades back and landed on the street. She gave a quick order to Hades and the Grimm began wandering the streets, keeping any more of Azredak's minions away from them.
"I think it's safe to say that this is where Azredak has set up shop." Spectre said.
"Certainly, looks like it. Skourzh, Saira, and Carsejaw were all here." Ruby said, looking back at the black waters that now surrounded the coast. "Do you think their bodies will disintegrate like normal Grimm do?"
"Probably not until Azredak is dealt with." Weiss said. "Francis did say he had empowered them. Probably why Skourzh was alive when we came back."
"Definitely." Spectre confirmed. "First though, we have to find Azredak."
"Where would he be?" Weiss inquired.
"Assuming he's modeled this island after the one on Salis, the heart of the island." Spectre guessed.
"Too bad we can't just ask." Ruby replied.
"Or it could. Manners do go a long way."
Ruby, Weiss, and Spectre all spun and leveled their weapons at the Scarecrow. Azredak's puppet sat a few feet away, right on top of Carsejaw's head.
"Azredak." Spectre growled.
"Saltborn." Azredak responded, his grin growing wider.
"I'm surprised you haven't come out to fight us yet." Spectre stated.
"I could, but I'm quite comfortable where I am. And what kind of host would I be if I didn't at least extend it an offer for peaceful resolution… especially after a show like that?" The Scarecrow gestured to the ruined street behind them.
"Peaceful resolution?" Spectre questioned.
"Spectre, you-" Weiss began.
"SILENCE!" Azredak commanded. "This is between the Saltborn and I."
"You haven't answered my question." Spectre stated.
"Indeed. I offer it and its friends, freedom. I'm going to remake Remnant in my image. I will allow it to take anyone it deems worthy to Salis. I have opened the gate once more." Azredak offered.
"And you won't kill us?" Spectre questioned.
"I could, but we all know that you won't die." Azredak replied.
"And if we say no?" Weiss demanded.
"Then it'll suffer and die. However, I doubt you'll say no." Azredak answered. "That said, I'll still give it time to think about it. When it's ready, come, kneel before me, and I'll set it free."
The Scarecrow vanished. Spectre turned to Weiss and Ruby.
"You're not seriously considering it, are you?" Ruby asked.
"The idea is tempting." Spectre admitted.
"HE KILLED MY SISTER!" Weiss shouted. "Even if you accept it, I won't. He's going to pay one way or another!"
"I never said I would accept it." Spectre said, attempting to placate Weiss. "I just said it was tempting. But I know Azredak, He wouldn't just leave us at peace on Salis. However, we do know where he is."
"Where?" Weiss demanded.
"The heart of the island. Presumably through the Still Palace, assuming he recreated it, like I suspect." Spectre answered.
"And how do we get there?" Weiss continued.
"It's probably under the most striking monument on the island. On Salis, it was under the Salt Alkymancery, through the Crypt of the Dead Gods. Two of the strangest and most striking places on his original island." Spectre explained.
"You think it's under Beacon tower?" Ruby asked.
"Hopefully." Spectre said as the three turned towards the tower. "Let's hope it is. This may be our only chance."
ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY…/…
Data Log BoS 039
Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future. I plan on concluding this story in the next chapter, with a short epilogue following that. Quite frankly, I've just run out of ideas for where to take Born of Salt. I thank you all for joining in this journey.
Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.
End Log S.T.K.