Legal Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth. The True Runes and any other Suikoden-related lore that pops up in this fic are the rightful properties of Konami.
Chapter Twenty-Eight:
Clover stumbled forward in the darkness encompassing his blindfolded vision, the sluggishness permeating his mind thanks to the "medicine" intake from earlier. It was causing his steps to be a lot less sure than they'd normally be, his arms being bound behind his back not helping. As the mer tripped for the seventh time on unseen and unstable footing, he suddenly found himself longing for a waterway.
He heard Neopolitan let out an annoyed huff of air at his slow, jarring movement, her hand that was gripping his arm pressing even tighter as she guided him to wherever it was that their group of captors was taking them. Thanks to both the Grimm Water and the blindfold that a cackling Tyrian had placed around his head before they had set out, Clover truly had no notion of where they currently were in Atlas. Of if they were even still within the city at all.
The air against his skin and scales had become bitingly cold when they'd been moved outside earlier, but now there was an odd clamminess coating his body. It made him suspect that they were somewhere within walls again, within a noticeably damper locale. Clover had to reorganize his thoughts when the dual-haired young woman left him leaning his side against what felt like a rocky, slick siding.
Based on the rough surface pressing against his skin and scales, the Rune of Punishment bearer realized it wasn't really a wall in a construction sense. With a furrowed brow, he wondered if they were perhaps in a cave. There were numerous such passages below Atlas.
"Could he possibly get some water?" Clover heard Whitley's voice echoing in what seemed like a relatively decent-sized space from farther away, and the brown-haired captain assumed the youngest Schnee must be referring to Jaune when a moment later the teen got out, "He's—he's burning up!"
The hand that had still been gripping Clover's bicep tightly left him leaning against the side of the still unknown space as soft footsteps drifted away. He could make out Watts giving a thoughtful hum in response to the boy's plaintive request, "Yes, I suppose it wouldn't do for the Sun Rune bearer to perish quite so soon from dehydration."
As Clover stood there trying to get a sense of his bearings, arms wrapped tight around his midsection and someone's hot breath began tickling the back of Clover's neck as he repressed a shudder at the unwelcome contact. Tyrian laughed, apparently enjoying the mer's discomfort with his presence, giving the arms wrapped around the mer a tight squeeze, "Hmm," he taunted, "I wonder if it is all the days you've spent preparing to take on the Royal Consort role or the Grimm Water that has made you soft, Captain Ebi."
Clover's mind reeled with all sorts of potential retorts, but before any could leave his mouth the strong, overwhelming smell of water suddenly invaded his nostrils. Against all rhyme and reason, as soon as his brain registered the scent, he found himself practically sagging into Tyrian's hold, an artificial sense of calm overpowering all else. It reminded him of how he reacted to James' scent now, reminiscent as it was to the underground lake that had become his home.
"So docile!" Tyrian laughed at the obvious change in Clover's demeanor before disentangling himself from the captive and removing the blindfold.
As Clover's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he could make out that they were currently on the sloping shore of an underground lake, the scant light reflecting off the clear water to the side. "We decided to move our little reception further down below Atlas." Tyrian boasted, a manic gleam in his yellow eyes, "This is the perfect spot to await our goddess' visit to Solitas!"
Clover struggled to stay upright, unsure of why even the sense of dread he felt at those words seemed to be masked by an eerie numbness. "That fool Ironwood thought I was bonding you to him, but in reality all I did was bond you to the lake scent to make controlling you in captivity easier." Watts seemed to notice Clover's inner struggle then, his lips twitching upwards underneath his mustache as he addressed the Royal Consort, "It wouldn't do to have the Rune of Punishment's bearer running around without a fail safe in check, after all."
A fail safe. Clover's mind was reeling as he turned his teal eyes over to the disoriented Jaune, only faintly conscious, propped up against the wall. Whitley was bringing a battered tin cup full of water that Neo must have acquired for them to the blond's parched lips, the half-mer standing impatiently behind the two prisoners with her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for Jaune to finish drinking.
Just like the Grimm Water, Tyrian's poison had become a fail safe measure for the young knight as well, Clover thought with a sickening lurch in his stomach as he watched Whitley help Jaune. Clover stumbled past Tyrian, Watts, and Neo on shaky legs before he collapsed on the cold stone ground next to his fellow captives. He tried assessing both for any further signs of damage, a frown lingering on his face, "Are you all right?" He asked despite the obvious.
Jaune's only response was a low moan and the faint flickering of his eyelids. Whitley bit his bottom lip as he lowered the now drained cup and tried to straighten himself to appear braver than he probably felt, "I'm fine." The white-haired boy assured Clover, casting a concerned look over at Jaune, "I'm worried about him though."
Tyrian seemed to overhear Whitley's whispered remark and strode over leisurely to the group of prisoners, Neo walking away in obvious contempt not a second later, moving past both Clover and the youngest Schnee so that he could bend down and mockingly pat Jaune's head as one might a dog, "Not to worry." He grinned maniacally in way of predatory reassurance to Whitley, "We want to ensure this particular Sun Rune bearer actually survives to see the show!"
"This?" Clover asked, narrowing his eyes at the remark since he knew that Tyrian was no doubt referring to the tragic loss of Pyrrha Nikos at Beacon.
The scorpion Faunus let out an exasperated sigh, "Cinder always was a bit overeager." He answered Clover in way of explanation, eyes momentarily flashing purple, "One must learn to be patient when serving Her Grace."
Watts smirked, staring up from his fingers to throw Clover a bemused look, "Speaking of patience, wouldn't you say this spot is rather familiar, Captain Ebi?" He asked contemplatively, "I've been waiting to see when your drug-addled mind would figure it out."
The brown-haired mer glanced around the underground cave then. It was dark, and being there had his skin crawling even underneath the veneer of forced calmness he was experiencing for some reason. Further along past the shore, embedded in the other side of the rock were what appeared to be barred doors. Pools of water lay in wait beyond them, just enough for a grown adult to stand in.
...He knew that because his mother had taught him to swim in one, years ago. Clover felt sick to his stomach as the realization hit him like a tidal wave. He knew where he was now because he'd been here before. Hell, he'd spent his early years along with his ailing mother in captivity here.
"Your mother was a fascinating specimen." Watts informed him then as casually as if he were discussing the weather, "I perfected most of my research on Grimm Water through studying its effects on her. She certainly lasted longer than I initially thought she would."
Clover's vision turned to red and he shakily rose to his feet, fully intending to barrel down the lanky man despite his arms being bound still behind his back. No wonder Watts' voice had always put him on edge. He recalled that the man who had tortured them before under the nobleman's counsel had always worn a hooded mask, so he never saw his face. Before Clover could even take a step, however, both a frowning Neo and a smirking Tyrian were holding him back by the shoulders.
He could feel his strength rapidly leave him as a very bemused Watts approached, "Come now, my boy, this is almost like a family reunion, isn't it?" He got out happily, ignoring the glare and snarl that Clover threw his way in response as he spread his arms out and took in the whole of the underground prison with a sweeping motion as he continued gloating, "And I couldn't think of another spot more suited to hide the True Water Rune in, could you?"
Qrow moved silently behind Hazel, keeping his narrowed light red eyes glued on the man's broad back. He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about trusting Hazel and the two younger knights from the Land of Darkness just yet, though the elf did know that Hazel had only joined with Salem following the tragic loss of his knighted little sister while the girl had been following Ozpin's orders and working for the Kingdom of Vale. Qrow could almost understand why he'd wanted revenge considering that Gretchen had most likely lost her life due to the ruler's penchant for secrets. Far too many secrets, Qrow had realized recently.
Still, understanding that didn't necessarily make trusting Hazel in this precarious situation any easier, nor did it help when the man in question turned to regard him with a raised eyebrow, "Something on your mind, Branwen?" He asked sharply.
From where they were walking directly behind the two older males, Qrow could sense Emerald and Mercury stilling to share a look at one another, though the pair stopped short of reflexively reaching for their weapons in light of the tense conversation they were overhearing. Oscar and Ruby, who had been walking side-by-side with the two, also glanced nervously at one another as if expecting a full blown confrontation.
Annoyance flared up momentarily inside Qrow. He knew when to put his personal feelings aside for the sake of a mission after all. Right now, the priority was getting to the captured Clover and the two kids. Nothing was going to change that.
"Just wondering why the sudden change of heart, is all." Qrow told the waiting Hazel in his most casual voice possible, shrugging his shoulders as he did so to feign indifference.
Hazel sighed and turned around fully then, his serious gaze lingering on Emerald and Mercury for a moment before turning in Oscar's direction, "That child inherited Ozpin's Rune, didn't he?" He asked in a tone that indicated he already knew the answer.
Oscar swallowed dryly and clenched his hands into fists at his sides before nodding in response.
"And several of the other youths in your watch have been chosen to bear True Runes too." Hazel concluded.
Qrow's eyes narrowed further as he glanced back at his nieces and the others, "What of it?" He asked suspiciously.
"The fact that they are mere children matters as little to Salem as it did to Ozpin." The muscular man continued, "She will either try to convert them to her destructive cause or end their lives to ensure someone else carries the burden instead." Hazel's eyes darted back to the two youths who had traveled with him, and Qrow suspected now one of the main reasons why Salem had kept them around as long as she had. It made him feel sick to his stomach as Hazel continued, "There shouldn't be any more Gretchens on either side."
Qrow couldn't help but nod his head, "We're in agreement on that front, at least." He said truthfully.
Hazel merely inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of the dark-haired elf's words, though Raven clucked her tongue from where she was walking with Yang and Tai, her arms crossed over her chest, "You're far too trusting, baby brother." She said critically.
"Probably," he shot back at her just as readily, "Since you're here and all too."
Raven's dark red eyes narrowed in annoyance and she quickly jerked her long unruly black head of hair in the opposite direction just as Yang and Tai both guffawed, "He's got you there, Rae!" Taiyang noted cheerfully.
"I can still leave, you know." She countered quickly.
"I don't think you will though." Ruby was quick to chime in, a smile reminiscent of her mother's gracing her features. Raven looked down at the ground and muttered something about "soft-hearted fools" under her breath.
"Is it always like this?" Mercury asked Oscar then, "Because the constant cheerfulness is going to get old real quick."
Yang smirked over at the gray-haired young man in challenge, "No one said you had to stick around, you know." She said, her hand already in a fist.
"Please," Mercury replied as he smirked confidently, "You'd be lost without us, blondie."
"Believe it or not, this is actually Mercury trying to be on his best behavior." Emerald whispered conspiratorially over to Ruby and Oscar.
Emerald's friend scoffed, "I can hear you, you know." He muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"Good." Emerald muttered smugly. As Mercury grit his teeth in obvious annoyance, the group fell into an oddly companionable silence as they made their way through the eerily empty streets of Atlas.
As they walked, Weiss regarded her silent mother with a deepening frown, "What I still don't get is why they chose to come to you first, Mother." She stated plainly not a moment later.
Willow glanced over at her youngest daughter with a masked expression on her face, "There's quite a bit you don't know about me, Weiss." She replied plainly, as if that explained everything.
Weiss arched a delicate white eyebrow, "Such as...?" She tried prompting, clearly interested in learning more about her mother's hidden depths.
Before Willow could respond, however, Joanna raised her arm high up in the air, motioning for the group to stop, "We've got company." She said, and suddenly the atmosphere became deadly serious.
In that moment, as the forms of the remaining Ace Ops melted from the snowy shadows of alleyways on both sides of the street just then, Qrow was glad that they'd waited to regroup with the Happy Huntresses along with his twin and Tai. Harriet regarded their group with narrowed magenta eyes, "That's quite enough." She said, her tone cold and professional.
A reluctant-looking Elm hoisted Timber up, "King Ironwood said no one should be entering Atlas and Mantle from the outside for the time being." Her eyes fell on the newcomers within their midst as she continued, "And it looks like several of you are strangers from where I'm standing."
"So he's getting even stricter with the border closing now?" Robyn grit out in frustration, no doubt thinking of how this act would strangle Mantle even more in terms of depleted resources, "When is it going to end?"
"Not our concern. We have our orders." Harriet stated in a matter-of-fact tone as more knights suddenly appeared on the street, "Return to your residences to await reassignments and questioning."
"This is ridiculous. They are with me." Winter said as she stepped forward, her pale blue eyes lit up in challenge, "Are you still going to say we can't be let through?"
Vine and Elm both glanced at each other unsurely then, but the soldiers around them started brandishing their weapons all the same while Harriet clenched her fists, "I'm afraid your judgement is being questioned at the moment," she replied, "Ma'am."
Winter's eyes widened, "What does that mean?" She asked incredulously, obviously angered that Ironwood would question her loyalty to Atlas.
But Harriet was pointedly ignoring Winter by this juncture, her expectant gaze landing on Marrow in their midst, "Marrow, step aside and let us deal with this." She ordered expectantly.
Marrow frowned and shook his head, "Sorry, Hare," he answered as he took a step away from his teammates, "But I need to help them find Jaune!"
"The Sun Rune bearer is too much of a liability at this stage." Harriet remarked coldly, "They all are. Atlas can't run the risk of having the Sun Rune and the Rune of Punishment being used by the enemy. Clover would understand."
"But, Whitley is just a kid!" Marrow yelled out in shock, "And Jaune and Clover are our friends!"
Vine stepped forward then, arms held out in a placating gesture, "Please," he tried reasoning rationally, "We don't wish to fight you."
Nora harrumphed, gripping Marrow's shoulder in a consoling gesture as she did so, "Doesn't really look that way to me!" She replied angrily.
Suddenly, Robyn and the rest of her team stepped forward with a silent nod to one another, their weapons already drawn, "We'll take on these guys. The rest of you get moving!" The tan blonde spoke over her shoulder, her eyes finding Winter's as she smiled reassuringly.
Ren's eyes widened, "But—!" He tried protesting before getting cut off with a "We'll be fine!" from Fiona, who was quick to reassure them with a bright smile plastered on her face even as her eyes held a reluctance to actually fight Harriet and the others.
May nodded, sharing a wink with Joanna, "These clowns?" She said, gesturing towards the Ace Ops and the other knights, "They'll be a piece of cake."
Elm's reluctance melted away at May's challenge and she snorted, "You think so, huh?" She replied with a smirk, her dark eyes hardening.
Surprisingly, a white light in the emblem of a shield glowed overhead then as Winter stepped forward as well to stand beside Robyn, "I'll stay too," she said, "If my loyalty is already being questioned, I might as well fight here and now."
Robyn grinned over at her, raising her own hand as a black sword appeared in the air, "Fighting together for a change might be fun for our Runes." She said joyfully, Winter smiling slightly before turning her sharp focus back to the matter at hand.
"Winter! " Weiss gasped at her older sister while Blake and Ilia both gripped her shoulders tightly in comfort.
Willow silently moved forward, a white Grimm apparition appearing before her as she activated a summoning glyph, "Weiss. I will stay with your sister." She said calmly, although her shaking fingers indicated her fear, "Find Whitley. Please."
Weiss' eyes widened in surprise at her mother's earnest request, but she finally bit her lip and nodded as she saw the resolute looks on her family members' faces. Ilia reached down to grasp her hand gently, squeezing lightly.
And then everyone was moving as quickly as they could, breaking through the human barricade even as the Ace Ops and other knights shouted out protests that were drowned out by the sudden frantic sound of weapons clashing behind them. Qrow wasn't sure exactly how long they followed Hazel through myriad streets and alleyways, but his lungs were burning. The others, save the inexhaustible Penny, were visibly panting by the time they approached a rather modest-looking, at least by Atlesian nobility standards, house.
"We're here." Hazel nodded at the building, brusquely heading towards the door as if he was expected company.
Qrow caught his youngest niece's worried silver-eyed gaze, "What about Robyn and the others?" Ruby tentatively asked, her eyes wandering behind them to the distant fighting.
"They'll be fine." Weiss cut in emphatically, her feet moving purposefully towards the house as well, "Let's find and rescue Whitley and the others in the meantime."
"It seems as if I was foolhardy for trusting Watts after all."
The group collectively spun around at the sound of James Ironwood's voice then, turning to see the monarch himself standing behind them with arms poised behind his back and a struggling Jacques Schnee under arrest behind him.
"James." Qrow began as he noticed how the tall man's gaze was sweeping over everyone in their group just then, the king's steel blue eyes narrowing as they regarded Hazel and the other newcomers in particular, "We need their help to—!"
"Though it seems perhaps I was too hasty in trusting all of you as well."
As soon as Clover's renewed strength at the reminder of who Watts truly was and just where they were faded from his limbs due to the lingering effects of the Grimm Water he'd ingested, Neopolitan removed her hands from where she'd been grabbing him by the shoulder, pulling away as if the action of restraining him earlier had actually burned her.
The frown on the half-mer's face was contemplative as she deftly moved past Watts to lean her back against a cavern wall farther away from everyone, arms crossed over her chest and her body language thoroughly unwelcoming. Tyrian's touch by contrast lingered more than Clover preferred, the crazed scorpion Faunus squeezing the muscle of the mer's shoulder ever so slightly before finally pulling away.
"There now." Watts told him in a chiding voice as Clover sagged upon the ground, "Is it too much to expect you to behave, Captain Ebi?"
Clover mustered up what strength he still had to glare at the mustached man, but his attention was diverted by Tyrian practically dancing over to where Whitley was still hunched over Jaune. "Now, now! I do believe it is time for the children to be put to bed while we adults discuss things!" The dark-haired man gleefully stated as he grabbed Whitley by the shoulder and forcibly pulled the now wincing boy up onto his feet.
The Faunus shoved Whitley into one of the cells embedded in the cave wall, and Clover had to suppress a grimace when the white-haired youth stumbled backwards and hit his head against the rock. As the boy groaned dazedly, Tyrian picked up Jaune in an almost obscene bridal carry and carried the semi-conscious blond into the very same cell, putting him down on the one lumpy, no doubt moldy pallet that was there.
Tyrian's eyes flashed purple for a moment as he once more struck the poisoned tip of his tail against the scratch on Jaune's face before he smirked at Whitley in a rather condescending fashion, "Let's see if you'll get a firsthand taste of the Sun Rune's power!" He taunted the teen, his voice positively joyous at the thought.
Whitley's pale blue eyes widened fearfully and he scrambled to the far side of the small space as Tyrian loomed over them both for a few minutes before the eerily smiling Faunus simply turned and slammed the cell door shut behind him, the lock deftly clicking into place. Clover, meanwhile, had managed to get up onto his shaky legs once more and took a wobbly step towards the cells, "Whitley, things are going to be okay!" He called out, desperately hoping his words could reassure the teen and prevent further panic.
Behind him, Watts snorted with laughter, "The Grimm Water certainly seems to have done the trick if you're bordering on delusional now." He said to Clover almost cheerily.
Clover spun around despite the dizziness the action resulted in to retort back at the lanky scientist when Tyrian grabbed him by the arm once more to forcibly push him along, the lake scent suddenly dulling all else, "I think our dear Royal Consort could use a bit of a rest too." He mocked, a malevolent light in his eyes as he pushed Clover into yet another cell.
The mer stumbled into the space and fell, almost falling into the small wading pool off to the side while the top of his head nearly collided with a rickety chair placed on the back wall. He regained his breath and bearings after a moment and tried to glare up at Tyrian, but the expectant smirk upon the madman's face gave him pause, "I do hope you enjoy your accommodations. After all, once I heard the story from our friend Watts," the crazed man said, "I just had to pick this one especially for you."
Clover blinked in surprise at the remark, his brow furrowing as he glanced around the darkened and rather cramped space. When he got a good look at the chair once more, the blood in his veins practically froze. He couldn't help but recognize it, after all. How could he not? He'd spent countless hours on his mother's lap as she sat upon it, telling him stories of the outside world he'd yet to see as a young child.
...He was back in the very same cell that he had his mother had been in so many years ago. Tyrian practically preened as the look of dawning horror and realization swept over his captive audience, clapping his hands together jubilantly, "Oh, yes!" He said ecstatically, "Isn't it wonderful to be home, Captain Ebi?"
Author's Notes: Things are certainly escalating all over the place now, huh? This was an interesting chapter to write out given the reveals that happened in it! As always, thank you for reading! Friendly comments are always appreciated!