Arch-Vile won the poll by a landslide, so here you go. It's big brain time. We also hit 200 followers a good bit ago, which is nice. I'm also going to stop putting Ulysses's dialogue in bold from here on out, as it might be annoying to read.
The White Fang guards stood outside the entryway to their hideout, guns at the ready but struggling to keep their eyes open due to lack of sleep. They'd been forced to pull a double shift since the last pair that usually took nights got killed by some Grimm the night before. So, until they got replacements, they would have to take over.
The hideout was a large cave that went deep into a cliff along the eastern coast of Vale. It was a perfect place to hide, as it was huge and had lots of space for both soldiers and supplies.
"Hey, is it just me, or is it getting hotter all of a sudden?" One of them asked. His buddy, having been snapped out of almost falling asleep, noticed as well.
"Yeah, that's weird." He replied. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the area. It also illuminated that steam was starting to come off the shallow waters they were standing in.
"What-?" One of them started but was cut off when a massive blast of fire erupted beneath them, instantly vaporizing the water and turning them into charred corpses, as well as fusing the sand around them into raw glass chunks. As the smoking bodies crumpled to the floor, loud footsteps began to approach. From the shadows of the treeline, a massive figure emerged.
It was 9ft tall and looked like nothing Remnant had ever seen before. Its feet were clawed, leaving large and deep footsteps in the ground. Its body was covered in natural armor, its chest and broad shoulders protected by thick bone plates, while everything else was covered by thinner chitin. Its long and muscular arms went down to its knees, its hands constantly flaming and ending with three massive and sharp claws. Sharp spines covered many parts of its body, forming between the chest plates to look like teeth. It lacked a nose or lips, exposing its many long and sharp teeth, combining with its glowing yellow eyes to give it a menacing stare. Its head was more prominent than most, indicating it had a larger brain, though it did nothing to take away from its intimidation factor. It chuckled, its voice deep and menacing.
"Weak." He said. As he approached the cave, the glass shards crunched under his feet, but he didn't feel it. He inspected the entrance for traps and, upon finding none, closed his eyes and began slowly raising his hands while chanting in an ancient tongue. He didn't know what the words meant, as his mind had been wiped since awakening here, but they came to him naturally. The flames began to spread from his hands until they fully engulfed his arms, as they usually did when he was casting spells. Around him, multiple outlines of demons appeared, though he could only feel them, not see.
After a few seconds of the flaming outlines coming into being, he let out one final word before opening his eyes, bringing his arms down, and turning the shapes into physical beings. He heard multiple roars and shrieks surround him as his minions appeared, ready to serve their master. Looking around, he saw the seven demons he had summoned. Three Imps, a Blaster Soldier, a useless Zombie that stumbled about aimlessly, but he grinned when he saw the final two—a pair of Dread Knights, ready to kill.
All of their eyes glowed green, a side effect of his summoning giving him total control over the ordinarily wild monsters. One thing he had no control over, however, was what demons he would summon. After much experimentation, he discovered he could call a maximum of ten if he pushed himself. Unfortunately, the last time the infernal priest had done that, he passed out from the stress, breaking his control of the demons and allowing them to go on a rampage. It was a good thing all he'd summoned was Fodder that time.
"Follow your master, and kill any who attack us." He said as he beckoned for them, and they obeyed diligently. The first one they'd come across barely had the time to register they were under attack before the Soldier blew him to pieces with a charged shot. The blast echoed throughout the caverns, undoubtedly alerting the rest of the White Fang.
"Go and hunt, kill in the name of Neofelis." He ordered, and that was when they let loose.
The Dread Knights immediately charged forward, revealing themselves to the terrorists. The first few didn't have time to fire before they were bisected by the large energy wrist-blades the Knights possessed, the screams of pain being mixed with the roars of the demons. The Soldier alongside the Imps had moved to higher ground to pelt the Faunus with energy shots and fireballs. The Zombie had only just stumbled into the room before getting its head blown off by a stray bullet, making Neofelis grunt in disappointment.
Most of the Faunus were firing on the Knights, but their bullets pinged off their cybernetic armor like nothing. A few managed to hit flesh, but they weren't doing nearly enough damage to bring one down. One of the Imps, empowered by bloodlust, leaped down from its perch and grappled a Faunus, quickly tearing him to pieces with its claws. Unfortunately, it was too distracted with ripping its kill apart to notice a Faunus wielding a sword get behind it. It roared in pain as it was stabbed through the heart and killed.
Getting bored with simply watching, Neofelis teleported directly in front of the Imp slayer before picking him up in his massive hands. His clawed fingers quickly wrapped around the Faunus' torso as he raised him to eye level. The terrorist's mask had been knocked off in the scuffle, revealing his terrified expression.
"W-what the fuck are you?!" He yelled as he struggled to free himself. The Arch-Vile turned to regard the rest of the White Fang, those that were listening anyway.
"I am Neofelis, I am your doom!" He bellowed before grasping his captivated by the legs and using his strength to tear him in half, spraying blood everywhere. He then raised his arms into the air, blasting hellfire into the ceiling and further terrifying the defenders. He looked on in glee as his demons killed the White Fang, the remaining Imps having learned their lesson and refrained from jumping into the fray. A stray fireball hit him in the shoulder, a very slight burning sensation informing him of the hit. He turned his gaze over at the offending Imp, who cowered back in fear before relocating to a spot where it was less likely to hit him.
A few bullets bounced off his chest, and he looked to see some Faunus on the ground targeting him. He responded by launching a wave of fire, incinerating those that didn't dive out of the way. Those recovering from the dive proved to be easy pickings for the two Imps, who descended upon them without mercy before quickly retreating once they were in pieces.
The White Fang began to thin out as they were slaughtered, the Dread Knights doing the brunt of the killing. After many gallons of blood had been spilled, the fighting stopped. The White Fang had been wiped out from the cave, allowing Neofelis to lay claim to it. Gathering the demons to him, the Dread Knights being soaked in blood, he did a headcount. Of the seven Neofelis had summoned, five remained. He could call another five and give himself a nice rounded ten to guard the cave, but he'd have to rest for a good while afterward, as it would drain him quite a bit. Not as much as summoning all ten at once, but so soon after he'd already brought seven was a tall toll for him.
Performing the same ritual as before, he raised his hands while chanting before bringing them down a few seconds later. Looking around, the five new minions stood. And he couldn't have been happier.
A pair of Mecha Zombies, much more dangerous than the normal one from before, an Arachnotron, a lesser version of the Dread Night called the Hell Knight, and finally a Prowler. The Prowler would be especially good for guarding the entrance, as it could remain out of sight, lying in wait. Then, upon any potential intruders nearing, it could teleport inside and alert them. It would be perfect.
"Guard the entrance, stay out of sight," Neofelis ordered the Prowler, who chittered before disappearing in a purple flash. "The rest of you." He chuckled. "Make yourselves at home."
They scattered from the main cavern where all the guards had made their last stand, though the Imps remained to feast on the slaughter. Not long after they had left, he heard screams and roars. It seemed the more White Fang had been hiding deeper in the cave system, and his demons had found them. He relished their cries, but he had more important things to do.
From here, he could begin sending scouts out into the forest, searching for more White Fang sinners to slaughter or capture. Preferably the latter, as he oh so loved to hear them beg for mercy as he subjected them to unimaginable pain. It almost made him feel stronger, and he wondered if it did. He would have to experiment with that.
Ah, but those were plans for the future. For now, they had to finish securing the cave. And judging by the cries from before, there were still some sinners remaining in his home. He sent out a mental order for all demons, barring the Prowler, to begin scouring the caverns for any remaining White Fang. After releasing this order, he held his head and groaned slightly in pain. Neofelis hated doing that, as it felt like a piece of his brain leaving for a bit every time the Arch-Vile did. It was a good thing they were all close to him, so he didn't have to push himself too hard.
Finding a large stone formation to sit on, he rested for a moment, closing his eyes as he heard his minions hunt. More screams rang out, and he chuckled. Once he was no longer fatigued, he could begin his work.
X
The Imp jumped through the trees with ease, its natural agility allowing it to move quickly and avoid the Grimm below without notice. The Blaster Soldier died while they'd been clearing the cave, so Master had replaced it with a Gargoyle. This Gargoyle had then gone scouting in the night, where it discovered a small camp not far from their home. Unfortunately, it hadn't seen who occupied it, as a rather large Nevermore had driven it off.
So now, the Imp was making its way to the camp under cover of night. However, the darkness did not affect it as the Imp was one of the few fully organic demons with perfect night-vision. It slowed down as it neared the camp, peering through the foliage to get a look. Four tents surrounded a smoldering campfire, looking as if it had been out for some time now. Not seeing any signs of movement, the Imp silently descended from the tree. None of the tents bore White Fang symbols, so the likelihood of them being here was low.
Upon entering the camp, it could hear snoring within one of the tents. The zipper had been left open, so it peeked inside. It saw the person making the noise, a large man with an even larger war hammer resting next to him. It looked like it could be mecha-shift, so these were likely Huntsmen. Moving on to the next tent, this one had been closed, but a hole on the back allowed it a look anyway—two females snuggling with each other. One was human; the other was a cat Faunus. Both looked dead asleep.
Moving on to the third tent, this one was fully open, revealing a second male, another human. He was fully clothed and looked as if he had passed out, an empty bottle in his hand. Very unlikely to wake up. But as it moved to the third tent, the one it assumed to be bare, it caught a whiff of something. It smelled like raw meat. It smelled delicious, and it was coming from the tent.
It approached it quickly, opening it without caring if the others heard. And inside was a cooler absolutely soaked with the smell of fresh meat. Wrenching the lid open, its mouth almost watered at the sight of deer meat. Master had told it to simply scout out the camp and see if they were a threat before returning. But it couldn't help itself as it picked up a chunk of meat and began feasting on it. Humans tasted good, but there was something about animal meat that was so much better. It was why the demons loved Faunus, as it combined the two to make a truly delicious meal. Unbeknownst to the Imp, the Faunus from before had been awoken by its eating.
"What?" Sol mumbled as she sat up, rubbing her tired eyes of sleep. Her girlfriend, Magnolia, remained lying beside her, sleeping peacefully. As her senses returned to her, she could more clearly make out the sounds of something eating, and quite carelessly as well. She jolted fully awake as she remembered the deer she had hunted yesterday. A wild animal had probably come into camp and was currently eating her hunting spoils.
Not wanting to bother Mag, Sol grabbed her rifle next to her sleeping bag before quietly exiting the tent. Looking around, she saw the tent was open. Sol scolded herself for forgetting to close it but stopped when she noticed the tracks around the camp. Her brow furrowed in confusion, as they didn't look like any animal she knew of. It looked like the thing regularly alternated between quadruple and bipedal movement, which only further confused her. Raising her rifle, she only intended to scare the creature away with a warning shot, but not before getting a look at it.
She moved the tent flap aside to see what was eating her kill. Only to gasp in surprise to see a creature half her height and looking like nothing she'd ever seen before devouring the meat. Upon hearing this, the creature's head whipped around, staring at her with green eyes, its face covered in blood with meat stuck between its sharp teeth.
Raising her rifle, it shrieked horribly before surprising Sol by picking up a handful of dirt from the ground and throwing it at her, blinding her. She cried out and fired a shot into the air before she felt the little monster push her down. She prepared for it to start clawing at her, but instead, she heard it begin running away. She managed to rub the dirt out of her eyes and see it fleeing for the forest, carrying the cooler like it was a damned treasure chest. Right at that moment, Mick burst out of his tent, war hammer in hand with his helmet on his head.
"Ok, who wants to die?!" He yelled, his deep voice booming through the camp.
"Some weird little creature made off with our food!" She yelled as she stood up. He turned his head just in time to see it leap into the trees, still carrying the cooler.
"Oh no, you don't, you little shit!" He shouted before taking off running for the forest. By this point, the only one that wasn't awake was Deacon, though that wasn't surprising given how utterly drunk he was.
"Sol? What's going on?" Mag left their tent, her dual shortswords at the ready. Unlike Sol, Mag was dressed in something other than her underwear, her black tank top and jeans covering her.
"I heard something rummaging through the meat cooler, and when I went to investigate, there was this short creature I've never seen before eating the food." Mag donned a stern look and began looking her over diligently, inspecting her for wounds.
"Did it hurt you at all? I swear if it did."
"Aside from throwing dirt in my eyes and pushing me over, it didn't try to kill me or anything. It looked like it just wanted the meat." After the impromptu inspection, Mag was satisfied upon not finding any injuries.
"If that's the case, I say we just let it go. It was probably just hungry, it's not like it took the whole cooler or anything." She chuckled, but Sol's look stopped her. "It took the cooler, didn't it?" Sol silently nodded her head, causing Mag to pinch her nose in annoyance and curse under her breath.
Meanwhile, the Imp was running for its life. It quickly realized it could climb the trees that well without the cooler opening and spilling the meat, so it had to carry it with both arms and run on the ground. All the while, he could hear the large human chasing him, but it hoped its anger would attract the Grimm and distract him while the Imp escaped.
"You're up against the wall, and I am the fucking wall!" The human yelled.
Fortunately, it did attract the Grimm. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the way it wanted. Soon after its pursuer began to gain on it, a Nevermore swooped out of nowhere and grabbed the cooler, leaving the Imp empty-handed.
Mick stopped and watched as the Nevermore made off with the cooler before looking back at the strange creature, which was staring in what he assumed was disbelief. This situation would've been comical if the beast was anything other than what he could only say was a demon. After a moment, the "demon" shrieked in rage before charging up a fireball of all things and launching it at the Grimm, sniping it out of the air.
Stunned by the shot's accuracy, Mick took a second to react when the beast ran in the direction of where the cooler had fallen. When he shook himself out of his stupor, he let out an angry "Hey!" before taking off after it. When he finally caught up, the cooler had broken open on impact, and the meat had spilled everywhere. The creature was currently gorging on the flesh, but upon seeing Mick, it shrieked at him before scooping up as much as it could in its arms and running off. He was about to resume the chase when a Beowolf tackled him from behind.
The Imp looked back to see the human being attacked by a pack of Grimm, allowing it to escape with most of the meat. It would find a place to stache its prize before gorging itself. However, as it neared the entrance of the caves, these thoughts were cut off when a large hand grabbed its back and lifted it into the air.
Looking back, the three-eyed visage of the Prowler meant to be guarding the caverns stared back at it. The Imp struggled to free itself as its much bigger cousin eyed up its food, chittering in interest. Grabbing all the meat with one large hand, it dropped its captive before disappearing, leaving the Imp with nothing but anger and frustration at all of its struggles being for naught.
Blood boiling, it made its way back home to report back to Master, without telling him about the meat and the chase, of course. It'd rather not get incinerated for drawing so much attention on what was meant to be a simple scouting mission.
And there's the debut for the Arch-Vile, Neofelis! I hope I did decent, and I had fun writing the chase scene. Felt like a blood Looney Tunes bit. But Imps gotta eat.
CykaBlyatintensifies: Thanks, I enjoy writing him.
ER-47: You'll find out soon enough.
Stratos263: Oh they absolutely are.
Rando guy that likes this FF: Ulysses doesn't like to kill innocents, so if RWBY or any of the other Beacon teams tried to attack him, he'd just subdue them nonlethaly. Except for CRDL, I'm so sure about those cunts.
emoryjmorril: Lovely.
Dylan-A-Friend: Great.
Jorin: Rip and tear, until it is done.
Bloodhunter101: Glad to see this is an improvement for you.
Welp, that's all you wrote. Thanks for voting on the previous poll, expect to see more of Neofelis in future chapters.
Skål!
-Bile