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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 4: Transgressions and Violations
After meeting my siblings, life kind of fell into a routine. Ruby began her schooling with Famine. Famine focused on teaching her the various academic disciplines. Reading, writing, language arts, math, science, history… whatever Famine felt would benefit Ruby the most. Granted, they started with reading, writing, and very basic math. History became a sort of… story time. Though, she learned history from pretty much everyone. A benefit of living with immortals I suppose.
The only real change was the attitudes of the people around us. Bianca treated Ruby no different than she treated Keira. I think Ruby was glad to have a mother figure in her life. The souls I had invited to the Necropolis soon got used to her… or as used to her as they could be, considering she was a living mortal in a place that should have rent her soul from her body. It wasn't long before they found out we adopted her, and she too was formally called princess by the citizens. I still don't know why they insist on referring to us as royals.
Alongside her academics, when Ruby turned seven, we began her training in combat arts. It was a year earlier than I intended, however, Bianca and I agreed it was for the best. Bianca even volunteered to teach Ruby about Dust. I vetoed that pretty quickly. It was nothing against my wife or Dust, but Ruby already had a full plate. I just asked her to wait until Ruby was older and could handle it better.
Surprisingly, War took a smart approach when it came to training Ruby. She started with unarmed close quarters combat. Ruby wasn't very good unarmed. War confided in me that she didn't think Ruby would ever be that good unarmed. That didn't concern me. I wasn't very good unarmed, neither was Keira… or Famine… or even Conquest…
Come to think of it, War was the only person I was close to who was good at unarmed combat. Though, Conquest strived to be better at it. I never had to worry about being unarmed. I could summon my weapon whenever I wanted.
Anyways, it was about four months after Ruby's seventh birthday when War began teaching her with a blade. I remember that day well. I was planning on meeting with Conquest. I had an urgent matter to discuss with him. I made a bet with War. Should I lose, she would have gotten to teach Ruby and Keira firearms. If I won, she'd stop breaking the southern gate for a year. That and War training Ruby in firearms was a possibility that Bianca made clear would not happen so long as she lived at the Necropolis.
That day, I gave Ruby a ride to the Arena. I dropped her off and rode away. After saying goodbye, Ruby headed towards the center of the Arena.
War was waiting for her. A pleased smile on her face. Behind her were a series of targets, all set at varying distances. Next to her was a table. Ruby approached the table to see what was on it. Ruby raised an eyebrow at the sight of a large assortment of daggers and knives.
"I thought you said we were starting with swords today." Ruby stated as she neared War.
"No, I said blades. Daggers are blades." War countered. "Besides, no niece of mine will lack mastery with daggers."
"Why daggers though?" Ruby asked.
"These are the best secondary weapons you will ever have." War answered. "Some people disagree with me. Those people are wrong. Now, you and I both know you aren't very good unarmed."
"Hey." Ruby cried indignantly.
"Then again, neither is your father. But he can cheat." War continued. "However, even he knows how to fight with daggers."
"So, what are we starting with?" Ruby asked, eager to learn more.
"This." War said.
War grabbed three throwing knives from the table. She held them slightly apart, so each dagger was held between two fingers. War whirled around and threw all three knives. With a thud, they each hit a bullseye on three separate targets. Ruby had to blink to ensure she was seeing reality. War smirked at the young girl. I would have rolled my eyes, had I been there. War likes to show off.
Ruby gulped and picked up one of the throwing knives. The small blade was unfamiliar to her, but it felt better than being unarmed. She turned toward the nearest target, which was a good 30 feet away. She wound up and threw the blade as if it were a ball. According to her, it flew gracefully through the air, end over end, before landing. War corrected the account. In reality it plopped down into the sandy floor of the arena about ten feet from Ruby.
"Your form is crap." War stated, looking at Ruby's knife. "And you need to keep your eyes open."
"It doesn't help when you order me to do something I don't know how to do." Ruby protested.
"Sure, it does. It's funny." War replied. "And it helps me see where you're at, so I can help correct what's wrong. Now grab your blade."
While Ruby walked towards the dagger on the floor, War headed out towards the target. She brought it closer until it was five feet away.
"We're going to focus on your form and getting the blade to stick. We'll focus on distance, power, and accuracy later." War said.
"Okay." Ruby replied.
"First things first, these aren't rocks." War said. "Or balls, so you shouldn't be throwing them as if they were. I think we'll start with the hammer grip."
War continued to instruct Ruby on how to properly handle and throw a basic throwing knife. It didn't take Ruby long before she could consistently get the blade to stick into the target. They soon stopped for lunch. War led Ruby to her apartment in the wings of the Arena. It wasn't the fanciest of places, but it served its purpose. Ruby had learned very early on that War liked a spartan living space.
My sister made a couple of sandwiches for the both of them. They sat and ate in silence for a few minutes. Ruby finished off her sandwich and asked a question.
"War, why are you training me in ranged combat?" Ruby asked.
"Because I chose to." War replied. "And it's only one form of ranged combat."
"Will you be teaching me more?" Ruby asked.
"Possibly, I'd like to train you on using firearms, but Death doesn't want me." War asked. "Actually, I don't think he wants me to teach you any form of ranged combat."
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"Eh, he probably thinks I'm too reckless, or that I'm not the best myself." War said.
"You seem pretty good to me." Ruby replied.
"Thanks kid, but you haven't seen anyone else fight or practice ranged combat." War answered.
"Have you?" Ruby questioned.
"Of course, I have." War answered, before gesturing to herself. "On top of being the literal horseman of war, I trained the rest of my family how to fight with knives and daggers. Hell, I'm still training Keira in them."
"Who would you say is the best?" Ruby asked.
"Melee, me hands down." War answered with no hesitation. "As for ranged… that's a bit more difficult to answer. Famine, Death and Bianca are all really good with throwing knives. Conquest and I have mastered the art. The best though… I don't really know."
They sat in silence a few minutes longer. Then War finished her sandwich.
"All right, come along. Those knives won't throw themselves." War said.
The two headed back into the Arena for more practice.
Meanwhile, I was riding through the Battlefield, looking for Conquest. Finding Conquest is one of the most difficult things to do. As a common courtesy amongst my siblings, unless it is an emergency, we won't ever open a portal and teleport directly into their homes. Only ever the lands around it. Its why War comes to the Necropolis from the Fields of the Lost. That being said, Conquest is notoriously difficult to find. Command Post Delta is a giant blimp, after all.
Honestly, I think the only reason that any of us ever find his home is because he allows us to. That day, Conquest must have been feeling particularly kind. I found the blimp a mere half an hour after leaving the Arena.
A rope ladder fell from the cabin on the underside, and soon enough, I was seated in Conquest's home. I don't exactly know what room it was; he reorganizes often, and I rarely visit. My brother was seated across from me, fingers steepled under his chin.
"Conquest." I greeted.
"Death." He responded. "To what do I owe for this visit?"
"I came to ask you for something. A favor." I answered.
"If it's about training your daughter in firearms, the answer is no." Conquest answered.
"How did you know?" I questioned.
"The last time you were here was for the same reason." Conquest replied. "Considering you have a new child; I made an assumption. And my answer is no."
"Why?" I asked, curious.
"Same as your other daughter." Conquest replied. "I will not teach a -"
"Hyperactive, insubordinate little girl with nor respect for the art." I quoted. "I know. However, you've got Ruby figured all wrong."
"How so?" Conquest asked.
"First off, Ruby is nowhere near as hyperactive as Keira. Secondly, Ruby does respect the art and is eager to learn." I replied.
"Then why don't you have War teach her? We both know she loves your daughters." Conquest stated.
"War lacks the proper restraint to teach something like this." I answered.
Conquest simply responded with a questioning look.
"Her idea of restraint is to pull the pin on a grenade and hand it to a seven-year-old child." I elaborated. "She's lucky it was a dud."
"I can imagine you had harsh words with her." Conquest stated.
"She got far worse from Bianca." I said. "It's also Bianca who doesn't want War teaching Ruby."
"Then why don't you teach her?" Conquest inquired. "Or have one of the dead do it?"
"I'm crap when it comes to gunplay. You know this, Conquest." I answered. "And the dead can't teach her for a simple reason. She's still alive. I've made it clear on more than one occasion, that the living cannot see the souls of the dead."
"Then have one of the dead at the Necropolis do it. I know you've got more than one soldier there, and I know you have one of them training Keira… or at least you plan to." Conquest countered.
"No. I've brokered a deal with the soul of a former sergeant to train Keira. The problem with the dead at the Necropolis is that none of them would be well suited to train Ruby. For some reason they see my family as royalty." I explained.
"And you think they might not be as strict as you need them to be?" Conquest interrupted.
"That's one reason." I answered. "There's also the fact that I didn't bring them to the Necropolis to teach a child how to effectively use a firearm. The dead at the Necropolis are there for their own reasons. None of which involve teaching. And if there's one thing I know about the dead, it's that we are notoriously stubborn."
"That's a bit of an understatement." Conquest deadpanned.
"Besides, would you not want to say that you trained one of the best marksmen the world has ever seen?" I queried.
"Ruby's a she." Conquest said.
"Fine. Markswoman." I corrected.
"I know what you're trying to do, Death, and it won't work." Conquest said.
"You know, I didn't think of this, but Famine's a good markswoman. She might be able to do it." I lied.
"Famine shoots now?" Conquest questioned.
"Indeed. I saw her a few days ago, practicing. I dare say she could give War a run for her money. You know you'll be next." I continued.
I got up and headed for the exit to the blimp.
"WAIT!" Conquest called. "I'll… do a trial run."
I smiled and turned back to my brother.
"A trial run?" I questioned.
"Next Wednesday. I'll teach her the absolute basics. The boring stuff. If I like what I see… I'll train her." Conquest conceded.
I chuckled to myself. I knew bringing Famine into the equation would work. Conquest is fiercely competitive with her. Famine doesn't care so much.
Anyways, I sat back down, and we began planning Ruby's firearms training. Eventually that was done, and our conversation just shifted. Conquest and I sat and chatted for a while. Just about general things: the mortal world, the end times, judgement, how things were going, the weather, etcetera.
Despite how he first appeared to Ruby, Conquest can be a pretty amiable guy, when he chooses to be. During our conversation, I got a good laugh out of him when I told him of another reason I sought him out specifically. Namely, the bet I had with War.
As I said, this day is one of the more memorable days. And it's not because I got Conquest to agree to something he didn't want to do. That's actually quite easy. Stroke his ego and appeal to his competitive nature, then Conquest is like putty in my hands.
No, the real reason this day was so memorable was because of what happened as I was getting ready to leave. I had stood up to say goodbye to my brother when I felt it. It was… wrong. I remember pausing as I reached forward to shake Conquest's hand. I turned my head to the right and just… sort of… listened? It's kind of difficult to explain.
But I felt something wrong. As death, I can sense souls. I think I've made that clear. However, when a body dies, the soul essentially becomes a beacon, beckoning me. However, too many people die for me to reach all of them, and like I said, I'm not an omnipresent being. That is the primary reason that I bring souls to the Necropolis. I mentioned them earlier, but they are my reapers. They act in my stead, severing souls from their bodies.
However, certain things require my attention, this… wrongness I felt is one such thing. Again, though, it's difficult to describe. It was like… a soul called out for help before silencing itself and vanishing. A soul… was dying, before it pulled itself back to life and vanished. I could no longer sense the soul in any capacity. A feat that should have been impossible. Souls simply do not have the ability to hide from death. A soul doesn't simply start dying. And, most importantly, the dead or dying can't bring themselves back to life.
And yet, a soul had started dying, stopped dying and hid itself from me. It felt so wrong that I couldn't not take notice.
The most confusing thing is that I thought I had encountered that soul before.
So, I feel this… event happen. Conquest looks at me confused. In a split second I open a portal from Command Post Delta to a forest. It was like following a sound that has gone silent. You know the general direction, but not the specific location.
I stepped through; Conquest followed.
"DEATH! That was a violation of my living space! You better have a good reason for that!" Conquest bellowed.
"Something's wrong." I stated as we began walking through the forest.
I spotted more than a few of my reapers in the forest. I waved them off whenever I saw one. They knew I was on the case now.
"Somethings wrong?" Conquest questioned, incredulous. "Something had better be wrong. I need more specifics than that!"
"I just felt a violation of the fundamental laws of life and death." I answered. "I intend to find out why."
A second of silence passed between us.
"That's a good reason." Conquest stated. "Lead on."
I nodded and began walking towards the source of the disturbance. Absentmindedly, I summoned my own favored scythe, Thine End. Conquest was actually the first to find what was wrong.
"Death, look up." Conquest said.
I did. The trees were dead. Or at least, some of them were. From the ground, it was difficult to tell, but it appeared that a part of the forest had just died. I looked down, a very faintly curved line could be drawn on the ground between where the plants were alive and dead. Conquest and I marched on.
We found a few dead animals along the way. A few deer, a rabbit, bugs. All of them in advanced stages of decay, but I could tell they had only just died. The only thing that should be possible of creating such a zone of death is me. I growled as we walked forward. This whole area just felt so wrong.
We made it to the center of the zone. It was… confusing. I don't know how else to describe it. It appeared that whatever happened had happened between three trees. They were the only trees that were so rotted that they had actually fallen. The ground between the trees was just dirt. No detritus or plant life of any kind. The only thing out of place was the bottom half of dead Beowolf. I knelt next to it as Conquest wandered around.
The Beowolf was a corpse, a melted corpse. I have no idea how else to describe it. It looked as if the top half of the Grimm had liquified. The worst part was that I had no clue how it could have happened. I didn't know and I don't like not knowing.
"Conquest!" I called.
"Yeah?" He answered.
"What would cause a Grimm to melt?" I asked.
"What?" He questioned, coming over to me.
"How could a Grimm melt?" I repeated.
He stared at the dead Grimm for some time.
"I have no idea." He finally answered. "I found something else interesting."
He led me to one of the fallen trees. On the ground, in a puddle of black liquid was a skeleton. A human skeleton. Some of the black liquid clung to the skeleton. I knelt down and lifted one of the skeleton's arms. For a fleshless skeleton, it held together far too well. Whatever that liquid was, it must have been an adhesive of some sort, for the skeleton's arm didn't fall apart as a skeleton should.
"That's not right." I muttered to myself.
"What?" Conquest inquired.
"This one died recently. Too recently. None of my reapers have been here, yet there's no soul." I answered.
"Our criminal perhaps? This is his punishment for violating the laws of life and death?" Conquest suggested.
"Maybe, but I don't even know what he did, or what could cause something like this." I replied.
I got up and looked around. There didn't appear to be anything else out of the ordinary. I walked back to the corpse of the Beowolf. Nothing about this place made sense.
Conquest and I tried to make sense of it for another hour as the sun went down before we heard the strangest sound. It sounded like someone stepping in a puddle. I turned in time to see a human figure running through the forest.
"There!" I yelled and got up to chase it.
I followed the person, but it was difficult. I'm not used to running through forests. Secondly, I couldn't feel their soul. As such, much to my chagrin, they got away.
"Death!" I heard Conquest call.
I returned to my brother. He was standing where the skeleton was.
"Did you get him?" He questioned.
"No. He got away." I answered.
"That's too bad. Any clue who he could be?" Conquest asked.
"No, you?" I questioned, slightly sarcastic.
"I think it was him." Conquest said pointing down.
To my surprise, the puddle and skeleton were gone. Not a trace of them remained except human footprints leading in the direction I had chased the figure in the darkness.
"What in the world…" I muttered.
"It would appear that he wasn't quite as dead as we thought." Conquest said.
"So, it would seem." I answered.
"What now?" Conquest questioned.
"Now, I go get Ruby. I'll bring her by next week. In the meantime, I think I need to visit the Fields of the Lost." I told him.
"Have fun with that." Conquest said.
He opened a portal and I followed him. Mordred and Ruby were still in the realm of War and Conquest, after all.
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Thank you to all who read this, your feedback and views are much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future.
Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.
End Log S.T.K