As some of you had pointed out this town lacks a name and since I forgot to put it in the last chapter here it is, it's called 'Asylum'. Once I start on the rewrites I'll get that put in chapter 8, probably when they're reading off the mission briefing.
My biggest concern for this chapter was trying to get Ruby to feel like Ruby since she's never experienced anything like killing another person in the show, at least directly. If we can count every white fang member thrown from that train as a kill then they all have a decent sized body count. So most of this was me figuring out how Ruby would react to these sensations and events. I'm sorry if it feels like Ruby is slightly wonky or OOC, as stated above I have nothing to go off of besides how I think she would react to these events based of what I've seen from the show.
In other news I went to see Jurassic World today and I loved it. Great film would recommend to others if you're a fan of dinosaurs, monster flicks, or Chris Pratt.
Disclaimer I do not own RWBY or Bloodborne both pieces are owned by there respective publishers.
Yang and Blake had busted into a deserted building through the back door. Walking in Blake sat Weiss down against the wall while Yang peeked outside through the curtains. The people were armed like a mob with pitchforks, shovels, and the occasional axe dispersed between them. Yang could even see the small groups of riflemen standing atop the buildings ready to open fire on anyone who entered the streets below.
"So how's Weiss holding up?" Yang asked as Blake looked over her for any wounds.
"That surprise attack just knocked her out. She should be fine once she wakes up."
"So what do we do now?"
"Find the antenna, make the repairs, and get an evac out of here. We're in over our heads on this one Yang. These people aren't normal they're sick or something and we can't fight them or else we might end of killing them." Blake knew they were sick, but they almost appeared feral to her.
"Alright then we wake Weiss and get over to that communication station." Yang said patting the backpack she had on that should contain all the parts necessary for a repair job.
"The only problem is that Ruby is the only one of us who knows how to fix it. Unless you or Weiss somehow know how to repair a transmitter tower I don't think we can leave just yet."
Yang slammed her fist into the wall causing it to crack like a pane of glass. "You can't just expect me to sit in here and wait doing nothing while Ruby is out there."
"We have to wait until Weiss wakes up then we can try to regroup with Ruby. Ruby's smart Yang she won't do anything reckless if anything she's probably doing what we are right now."
"Fine then we can wait for now."
"I'm worried too Yang, but us running around without a proper plan is just going to cause more trouble. We can try to establish a direct link to Ruby's scroll without bouncing it off a comm tower." Blake offered hoping that Ruby would be able to answer.
"I hope your right Blake." Yang pulled out her scroll and tried calling Ruby only for no one to answer. "She's not picking up."
"She could still be running Yang. Check her aura levels."
Looking over the team statues section Yang saw that Ruby's aura was slowly draining. The fact that it was a steady decrease instead of chunks being removed was startling though. Blocking hits would take out chunks, but a steady drain meant either Ruby was injured and using her aura to recover or she was slowly bleeding out. Yang was starting to get antsy until she saw the draining stop once Ruby's aura levels were a little below half.
"You stay here with Weiss. If anything happens call me and I'll be right back, but right now I need to find Ruby."
"Don't do anything to dangerous. I'm going to take a quick look around so try not to draw to much attention." Blake said as the brawler left through the back door. "Now to see if there's anything of use in here." Blake mused to herself climbing the stairs to the second floor.
Yang was wondering the streets for a few minutes diving in and out of alleys trying to not draw attention to herself. The people of the city seemed to move in packs with none straying too far from the rest. Luckily this meant that Yang could run passed them once they walked by without fear of them turning around. Retracing their escape path Yang slowly made her way back to the main street they split up at hopping to find a trail to follow. Unfortunately what she saw instead would chill her very soul.
Ruby was sat in the middle of the blood soaked street with Crescent Rose lying next to her. Yang's first thought was how much of that blood was Ruby's until she saw that despite being soaked in blood there wasn't a single wound on her sister. Walking towards her Yang could her Ruby muttering something over and over again.
"I am not a monster, I am not a monster, I am not a monster, I am not a monster, I am not a monster, I am not a monster." The words were mumbled, but Yang could still make them out as she started stepping through the puddle.
Ruby was gripping her own shoulders in a self-hug trying to feel any form of comfort. Yang made a motion and embraced Ruby in a hug letting her warmth spread through her shivering sister. The muttering came to a stop and was replaced with Ruby burying herself in Yang's shoulder as she cried. When Ruby finally stopped Yang noticed that it was because she had fallen asleep. Hefting Ruby onto her shoulder and grabbing Crescent Rose Yang began her slow trek back to their temporary hideout.
Blake had set everything considered of value on the table from a map of the town and two strange vials. One was already empty and the other was full of some kind of crimson liquid. The vials had some form of autoinjector built in for speedy delivery of the fluid. Whatever it was Blake could tell that the substance was rotten in nature. The back door opened and Blake quickly spun around putting the vial in her back pouch when Yang with Ruby held over her shoulder entered. Yang walked over and placed Ruby on a nearby couch.
"What happened to Ruby?" Blake asked seeing how much blood was covering their leader.
"I don't know, but whatever happened got to her bad. She's not injured at least not physically."
"Let's get her out of those clothes. The town still has water so we should be able to wash them and take a shower." Blake's suggestion of a hot shower was tempting to Yang, but they were still in what would be considered hostile territory.
"Is it really ok to do all of this in somebody else's house?"
"I'm going to get started on something to eat since we can't move until everyone wakes up. Just go take a shower and try to collect yourself I have a feeling this is going to be a long night." Heeding Blake's words Yang decided that some rest before moving out wouldn't be so terrible and headed up the stairs to find the shower.
With Yang gone Blake started going through the cupboards in search of something to cook up. Looking around she found all she needed to make a decent meal when she heard Weiss stirring from her sleep. "Good to see you're alright."
"What happened? "Weiss asked as she rubbed her throbbing head.
"You took a nasty hit from one of those people. I had to carry you back here while Yang gave us cover." Blake said as Weiss looked around at her new surroundings.
"What happened to Ruby?" Weiss asked in concern over her leader.
"She's resting on the couch at the moment Yang found her after we split up." Weiss walked over to the couch and once she looked over its back saw Ruby covered in blood. The mere sight of it made her sick. She couldn't even imagine what would have to happen for so much blood to drench Ruby.
"Is she okay?"
"Yang said Ruby had no physical injuries so we can assume the bloods not hers. Do you mind stripping her I don't want Ruby catching hypothermia from wearing drenched cloths?" Blake asked as she started chopping a few carrots.
"Is there a washing machine here to run her cloths through?" Weiss asked hoping that Ruby wouldn't have to run around in bloodstained cloths until they made it back to Beacon.
"There's one down the hall and to the left. Yang is taking a shower so feel free to go in after she's done." Nodding Weiss began to disrobe her leader taking care not to get any of the blood on her own cloths. Finishing up she grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over Ruby while she loaded the cloths into the washer.
Walking back over she noticed Ruby shaking not from the cold, but from something else. Weiss saw the tensing of Ruby's face and assumed she was having a nightmare. Sitting down next to the couch she held Ruby's hand and the shaking slowed down until it came to a complete stop. Weiss simply sat there losing track of time waiting for Ruby to wake up until Yang walked back into the room.
"Hey Weiss, it's good to see your up. Hopefully they didn't knock to many screws loose in that head of yours. "At this point Weiss couldn't tell if Yang was trying to be funny or just using it to help cope with how bad their situation had become.
"You mind coming over here and holding Ruby's hand while I take a shower?"
"Why are you holding my sisters hand?" Yang asked as her protective instincts started to show through.
"Because last time I stopped holding onto her hand she started having nightmares again. So it's your turn to watch over her while I get a much needed shower." Weiss' response immediately calmed Yang and got her to walk over and take Ruby's hand. "Thanks, I'll try to make it quick."
Yang heard a dinging sound and turned to Blake for an explanation. "That would be Ruby's cloths. By the time you get done dinner should be ready." Blake said as she stirred the pot on the stove.
Yang would have wondered why Weiss had apparently stripped Ruby, but the blood soaked clothes needed to be washed and she at least gave Ruby a blanket. Finding the source of the noise Yang pulled out Ruby's cloths and begun dressing her. Ruby stirred slightly from the act, but remained asleep. Giving her a kiss on the forehead Yang walked over to Blake.
The pot was steaming and when Yang peered into it she saw carrots, celery, some cut up sausages, and diced potatoes in the soup. The concoction seemed almost like a cream with how thick it was, but at least it would be a filling meal. Not something Huntresses usually could get while on an assignment. With bowls placed out on the table Yang pulled up a chair and began filling her bowl with the steaming soup.
Taking a spoon full Yang take her first sip of the soup not even letting it cool down before she took another sip. "Not half bad Blake I didn't know you knew how to cook."
"It's a skill I acquired after a while. Since the only way to get any decent food was to make it yourself. Isn't your mouth burning right now?" Blake asked as Yang took another spoon full of the still steaming meal into her mouth.
"I'm pretty resistant to heat so I don't have to wait for it to cool off like most people." Yang said remembering how angry Ruby was as a kid when Yang would start eating cookies fresh out of the oven while she had to wait for them to cool. "So what do you think happened to Ruby?"
"I think she got put in a terrible situation and came back alive. We both saw the blood on Crescent Rose. Whatever happened she killed people or at least what remained of these people. At her young age it would be a wonder if she remained the same lovable leader we know after all this."
"She'll always be my lovable little sister to me Blake I don't care what she may have done."
"I'm not saying you won't still love her I'm just saying that experiencing something like that can be traumatic. Ruby's age just complicates how she'll work through it and how it will affect her." Blake said remembering how some of the children in the White Fang had experienced taking another's life and were never the same again.
Weiss walked back down the stairs and seeing the others eating she pulled up a chair. "Did I miss anything?"
"Just us marveling at the fact that you know how to use a laundry machine." Yang joked as the Heiress filled her bowl.
"I may have had maids to perform most of the daily chores, but I made sure to know how to function outside of home." After all it would have been very unbecoming if a Schnee couldn't perform the simplest of tasks any commoner could. "So what's the current plan?"
"Wait for Ruby to wake up and hope that she can fix the comm tower. If that doesn't work we'll have to trek for a few days to the next town over and hope that they can help." Blake said trying to think of the best way to continue forward.
"Well if the towns far enough away hopefully what's affecting this town hasn't reached them. I wonder how it spreads." Weiss said as she took another spoon full of the soup before realizing what she had just done. Spitting it back out Weiss started wiping her tongue off with a cloth. "Did you use any water from the tap?"
"No I just used some canned broth, milk, and some"- Blake paused remembering that she had washed the vegetable before dicing them and throwing it into the soup- "Oh no."
"Please tell me you didn't just poison us Blake." Yang said pleadingly looking over at her now empty bowl.
"It might not be the water." Blake offered hopping she hadn't just killed herself and Yang by not thinking about how whatever affected the town became so wide spread.
Yang looked back to the pot and filled up her bowl again before taking another spoonful. Blake and Weiss only gawked at the brawler consuming more of the dish. "Once you taste poison, you might as well finish the meal. Beside it's a great tasting meal and I doubt that the amount consumed will have any effect at this point if it is a plague."
"Well no sense in letting a meal go to waste." Blake said as she started to consume her soup.
"If we're lucky it's not airborne or in the water supply, but to be on the safe side I'll be taking all the bottled water. Worst case scenario is that you two are doomed so at least Ruby and I will be fine." Weiss said as she started fishing through the fridge for any water containers.
"Blake if we are dying I want you to know that I blame you completely for my death." Yang joked trying to ease the tension.
"Thanks Yang, it makes me happy to know that I'm the one who gets to be credited for your death." Blake quipped back to her partner.
"Got anything you want to get off your chest?"
"On the off chance we're not dying I think I'll save it until I'm on my death bed."
"That's no fun Blake come on live a little."
"That will be difficult if we're having some plague eating away at us."
"If you two could stop playing around, where's Ruby?" Weiss asked interrupting the Yang and Blake's banter.
"She should be on the couch resting." Yang said some concern in her voice from the implication.
"Yang Ruby's not on the couch where did she go?"
"Blake you check the house I'm going back out there to see if I can find her." Yang said as she made her way to the back door to leave.
Weiss walked behind her putting a hand on Yang's shoulder to grab her attention. "Yang you're not going out there alone let me come along. Ruby is my partner and I can't leave her out there." Weiss tone made it clear it wasn't negotiable so Yang sighed in defeat and held the door for her.
"We move as a unit okay and when we find Ruby you let me approach her first. She may not be okay with being approached by someone who she isn't completely familiar with." Yang warned remembering what Ruby was like when she found her in the streets. If she was in a fight Yang doubted that she would even be able to reach her judging from the carnage she caused.
"Are you saying I'm not good enough friends with Ruby?" Weiss said slightly offended by the implication.
"I'm just worried about you. Ruby would never forgive herself if she accidently hurt you"
"Alright then you can talk to her first. Just how do you plan on finding her anyway?"
"Well Ruby still has her scroll on her so all we have to do is follow her signal. And it looks like she's only about a mile away in roughly that direction." Yang said putting her scroll away as she began walking through the alley. "Also just follow my lead I've finally started to get used to how these people move. It's actually pretty easy to run past them once you get start finding patterns they abide by."
"You make it sound like they're a mindless mob."
"I wouldn't go that far, but they are pretty simple once you get a feel for it. If they start chasing you though they won't stop until you lose them and then they'll return to wherever they came from." Yang pointed out one of the men on the street who just turned around to walk back down the same path he just took. The image almost reminded Weiss of those cliché films involving the undead wondering the street.
"Lead the way then."
Ruby woke up on an unfamiliar couch in a room she didn't recognize. Hearing the voices of her team arguing over something she immediately remembered what happened before Yang found her. Like a flood it all rushed back to the fore front of her mind along with the warm sensation along with the chill it left behind once it had passed. Grabbing Crescent Rose she made her way out the back while the others were distracted and began moving deeper into the city. Trying to distance herself from the others Ruby continued to run until she could no longer find the way back.
When she came across one of the locals a familiar sensation started to run through Ruby reminding her of how she felt immediately after regaining consciousness the warmth surrounding her along with the blood. Getting ready to reach for her weapon Ruby noticed what she was doing and ran away from the man afraid of what she would do if she was around him for any longer.
Tucked away in an alley Ruby was hyperventilating her eyes dilating at the thought of basking in the enemies' blood, the warmth she could feel from their fading life.
'Crack' Ruby smashed her head into the wall trying to clear her head of such thoughts. Those thoughts though were creeping through her head reminding her of the sensations she missed during her unconscious rampage and what it would feel like to participate fully in such a pleasure.
'Crack' Ruby slammed her head into the wall again drawing blood this time from the self-inflicted injury. The mere fact that she was thinking of the sensation as something to enjoy was even more cause for concern from the red cloaked Grimm reaper. Ruby felt like she was beginning to lose her mind with these ideas coming from her own head.
Focusing on her friends and family Ruby started to silence the whispers telling her to rip and tear through her enemies. A new memory came to her mind the warmth Yang's hug provided along with the sensation of Weiss holding her hand. The new silence she felt in her own mind was a comforting relief despite how short it may be. Sliding down the wall Ruby pulled her knees into her chest and tried to focus on anything that might keep her sane.
The silence was interrupted however when she heard a foot step in front of her. Without a second thought Ruby slashed at her opponent with Crescent Rose her body waiting to bask in the new sensation a kill would bring. The sensation never came though and focusing on her opponent Ruby saw Yang blocking the blade with her gauntlets sparking from the continued pressure Ruby was putting out. Recognizing her mistake Ruby pulled her weapon back and folded it behind her back with her eyes darting around for an escape. Shifting to her right Ruby saw a glyph block her exit and when she turned to her left another blocked her last escape path. She felt like a cornered animal with her sister standing in front of her.
Yang reached forward with one hand towards Ruby. "Stay back!" She shouted causing Yang to flinch from the animosity the command held.
"Ruby." Yang's voice felt small and saddened as she said her sister's name.
"I don't want to hurt you, just leave." Ruby pleaded as tears started to form around her eyes.
"Ruby you won't hurt me." Yang said as she took another step forward.
"I'm a monster just leave me alone!"
'Slap' Ruby felt an immediate sting on her left cheek and realized that Yang had just slapped her. Before she could bring a hand up to rub her sore face she was embraced in a hug from her sister filling her with a comforting warmth.
"Don't you ever call yourself a monster." Yang tightened her hug nearly crushing her sister. "You have and always will be my little sister and I refuse to let anyone tell you otherwise, even yourself." Yang's words calmed Ruby and silenced any thoughts of fighting.
"I'm sorry Yang, I'm sorry about everything."
"It's going to be okay Ruby we're all here for you." Yang gestured to Weiss who walked over and joined the hug.
"You dolt I told you that I would always be by your side to help so let me help you now when you need it." Weiss said as they separated.
"Come on Ruby Blake made us dinner and it's impolite to let our hostess wait." Yang rubbed Ruby's head affectionately causing her hair to stick up slightly.
Ruby followed them back to the hideout walking through the door she was greeted by Blake who was sitting on the couch anticipating their return. Yang grabbed Weiss bringing her down the hall leaving Blake alone with Ruby.
"Ruby I need to talk to you about what you experienced." Blake's usually calm voice had concern behind it.
"Blake I"- Ruby was at a loss for words when she started thinking about how to explain what she had experienced or how Blake could even help her- "I killed people Blake. They fell apart like Grimm there was so much blood."
"Ruby I'm not going to tell you that what you did was right or justified. Those are things you have to discover for yourself, but what I can do is be there to help you through what you're feeling. I know having someone to talk to can help you work through this."
"You don't get it Blake I killed those people and I enjoyed it!" Ruby yelled at her teammate with anger building in her. "I felt so alive and strong after I woke up and it felt like my blood was frozen after it wore off."
"Ruby we can get you help once we're out of this town."
"I feel like a drug addict, craving something I know that will only harm me. What's happening to me Blake and why does it hurt so much." Ruby started to cry after realizing everything she felt.
"It hurts because you know it's wrong and you are still you. We'll take care of everything on the way to the comm tower tomorrow so just rest up. I promise that we'll work through this as a team." Blake said reassuringly.
With those words everyone decided it would be best to finish the mission in the morning with daylight abound to help guide them through the twisting streets. Seeing the sun disappear over the horizon darkness blanketed the town along with an eerie peace. With silence filling the night team RWBY turned in for the night.
Ruby knew she meant well, but Blake would never be able to understand what was running around in her head. The journey tomorrow would be long, treacherous, and would likely require one or more of her team to get blood on their hands before the end. The thought of Weiss or anyone having to kill another person terrified Ruby. She wouldn't bear to see any of them experience what she had so Ruby came up with a selfish plan to save her team from having to experience such an event.
With everyone asleep for the night Ruby took her time sneaking out of the house knowing that Blake would wake up at the slightest sound of an intruder or danger. Ruby felt lighter in her step and silence seemed to follow her as she opened the door. Walking out of the alley she readjusted the backpack full of spare parts knowing that it would be critical to repairing any damage. Unfurling her weapon Ruby looked towards the tower in the distance and started walking.
Ruby knew that she would have to kill more by the end of the night to reach the tower and a part of her greatly anticipated the sensations she would soon feel. The beast in the back of her mind patiently waiting knowing that tonight blood would spill from the town and flood the streets with the crimson liquid. Conflicting emotions of disgust and excitement started to fill her as Ruby came across her first prey.
A lone man armed with a spade walking the street. Ruby saw him approach and slowly ran at him her weapon ready the strike. A quick slash took out his left leg forcing him to the ground unable to stand. Another slash took off his right arm just below the shoulder removing his only weapon. The sight reminded Ruby of a turtle flipped over on its back, helpless and weak. Flipping him over with a the back end of her scythe Ruby placed the blade under his neck and began to slowly draw it back to her. The man barely struggled as the blade was pulled through his throat only stopping once his head had been separated from the rest of him.
Ruby felt a warmth start to flow through her reminding her of the life she just took and she felt stronger for it. The feeling was almost intoxicating and Ruby was awake to enjoy every moment of the experience. A little blood had gotten on her clothing coating the black with droplets of crimson. Looking around Ruby saw two more people walking towards her. She felt like a wolf and she would gorge herself on their lives since her prey were so eager to come at her like lambs to the slaughter.
And that's the set up Folks Ruby has one night to carve her way through Asylum and make it to the comm tower. Slightly less dire than the Hunt of Yharnam, but I think it's a okay premise for Ruby's first hunt.
So not much of a fight scene this chapter sorry for those of you expecting one. I meant to put a decent sized one in here, but as I continued writing this chapter it felt more and more like a set up for the rest of the Asylum arc. That's what I have these chapters filled under in my computer and it seems appropriate since chapters 1-7 were the Introduction arc.
For those of you wondering when a fight scene is going to break out here's the next chapter title 'Little Bad Wolf'. Also for those of you wondering when Dunstan is going to show up the he'll make an appearance in either CH.10 or 11.
Once again thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy your stay here.