Disclaimer: I own nothing; just the OC
'Thought'
"Talking"
*Action*
"Powerful entity (gods, dragons, etc.)"
[System]
Several Minutes Earlier...
A Bullhead can be seen flying over the forest. Inside, Blake and I are on the pilot seats while Willow is behind sitting on one of the passenger seats.
"How much longer?" Blake asked.
"Not long now…" I told her. In truth, I wasn't sure if the tribe was still there but if they're being attacked then there should be a sign. We see Grimm flying around us and yet for some reason they aren't attacking.
"Strange." Blake began, "why aren't the Grimm attacking us?"
"Hm." I see smoke rising to the sky overhead. "There, follow the smoke."
The Bullhead flies in and we see the rising flames coming just beyond in front of us.
"Well, shit." I said out loud. "Hope everyone's still alive…"
[I wouldn't put my hopes up if I were you]
I jump a bit at the sudden familiar voice. 'You're back!'
[I never left, I just didn't feel like talking to you. By the way, you might want to focus on the kitty cat next to you]
"What should we do?" Blake asks, looking at me for some sort of plan.
For a minute, no one says anything… until I stand up from my seat. "I'm going down there."
Blake gawks and looks at me. "You can't be serious. That's a whole flock of Grimm you'll be dealing with alone!"
"It wouldn't be my first time and besides I can't just sit and watch." I walk down the ship and turn to Willow. I open my [Inventory] and take out [Blue Sister]. "Here, you'll need this more than me."
Willow takes [Blue Sister] and nods while Blake stares at what she saw. 'He has a storage type Semblance? I thought it was healing.'
"I should get going now." I glance at Blake. "When you find a place to land, come look for me."
Blake raises an eyebrow until she sees me opening the main hatch and realizes what I'm going to do. Before the two women can do anything I jump off the Bullhead and quickly begin to head straight for the ground. But just before I touch the ground, two black wings made entirely of Aura sprout from my back and fly upwards.
'It's been a while since I've used [Aura Emission] like this. Man, I never realized how good flying feels!'
Blake and Willow look on from the cockpit wide eyed at the sight in front of them. "He can fly!?"
"I know that he can use magic, but I never thought he could pull off something like this." Willow states. "I didn't think he could mold his Aura to do that."
"Is there anything he can't do!?" Blake exclaims before turning to Willow skeptically. "Wait, did you say he can use magic!?"
"How else do you think he healed you, dear?" Willow asked.
Blake balks but doesn't say anything, instead focusing on finding an area to land that wasn't flooded with Grimm.
Meanwhile, I fly straight through the wall of darkness while evading some of the Grimm that attack me.
[Are you sure it was a good idea to leave the girls back in the Bullhead? The Grimm could attack them as well]
"The Grimm seem to be ignoring the Bullhead and are only concerned about the tribe." I said. "Salem knows that the [Fall Maiden] is here so she probably wants the Grimm to serve as a countermeasure in case she tries to escape." I narrow my eyes. "But if Salem finds out the [Spring Maiden] is here as well then I better get down there fast."
Suddenly several Grimm fly towards me. They all have a three-segmented black body with three sets of legs. They have a white armored mask and armor along their back. On the back of their abdomen, the armor is in four overlapping plates. They have jagged pincers, antennae, four red transparent wings and a stinger. In front of me is a larger variant of the Grimm with seven overlapping plates.
Lancer - Warrior Drone
Level 38
1987/1987 HP
1566/1566 SP
Description: The Lancer is capable of firing its stinger while keeping it attached to its body via an organic tether, functioning like a harpoon. The stinger is strong enough to pull apart the wooden frame of a Mistral airship as well as breaching a metal hull. They also showed more intelligence compared to other Grimm, as they engaged in a coordinated attack. Some of them held down a ship, while one of them sacrificed itself to take it down. When a Queen Lancer is with them, the Warrior Drones become more cunning allowing for more decisive attacks.
Queen Lancer
Level 41
2300/2300 HP
1700/1700 SP
Description: A Queen Lancer is much more intelligent than their inferior counterparts, able to command the drones with coordination as well as having the ability to fire out the spikes on its face.
The Grimm block the path and the only thing that greets them is the face of someone they should not have crossed. Shrunk pupils, white teeth bare for the world to see and an aura that can only be described as cold and apathetic. No, that's not right…
It's the aura of someone really pissed off!
"I don't have time for you!" I charge at the Queen Lancer and grab it by the head and start to pull my arms apart. In an instant the hornet Grimm's body splits into two and begins to evaporate as it falls into the ground while the Warrior Drones simply look on as their queen is brutally killed.
You have defeated a Queen Lancer! You have gained 3200 EXP! You have gained 2988 Credits!
I crack my fingers as I give the hornet Grimm an expression that can only be described as savage. "Who's next?"
Amber couldn't hit him.
Try as she might, she couldn't land a solid hit on the man. His movements are all over the place. Her eyes blazing with power as she conjures spears of molten rock and throws it at the Faunus. The Faunus simply dodges and suddenly pounces and slashes at the maiden, grinning like a madman when Amber crouches and hits him in the chest with her staff and extends it, sending the crazy bastard back.
"My, my, my, you hit hard! I think you might be my new favorite person!" Tyrian cackles at the throbbing pain. His heart racing and the excitement just made him more eager. He rushes at Amber with his wrist blades which Amber manages to block with her staff.
Amber struggles to stand her ground, but then she got an idea. She summons lighting and has run through her metal staff like a lighting rod which passes onto the wrist blades and electrocutes Tyrian. The surge of electricity paralyzes him long enough for Amber to hit him with her staff several times before finishing it with an Aura-enhanced kick making him fly backwards.
Not taking any chances, Amber raises her hand glowing with power. Ice and fire appear on top of her, mixing and shifting to become something new, and fires it at Tyrian. Tyrian only has a moment to blink before the projectile hits its target, detonating and covering everything in boiling steam.
"I will admit, you do know how to step up your game when it comes to fighting. I was afraid that this whole ordeal would be boring." Tyrian steps out from the steam, margily unharmed though his coat is gone revealing his scorpion tail. "Sadly, all good things must come to an end. A pity, but the mission comes first."
Amber couldn't react in time as the scorpion Faunus lunges at her and plunges his tail into her arm.
"AHHHHH!" Amber screams out as she conjures more magical power but for some reason nothing's happening. "What did... you do!?"
Tyrian's grin widens. "Oh nothing much, just used my Semblance~" His grin grows further while his tail caresses her face. "It goes nice with my poison don't you think? Slowly killing you from the inside but don't worry, our Queen wants you alive~"
Amber's expression morphs into horror, she doesn't want to meet Salem. She does not! Her body begins to glow until it becomes too hot for Tyrian to handle and jumps back. She slowly begins to stand up, much to the scorpion Faunus' surprise.
"That's not possible. How are you moving!?" Tyrian exclaims before it suddenly clicks. "Oh I get it. You used magic to enhance your metabolism so that it could burn off the poison. Truly, you maidens are such wonderful playmates."
Amber wheezes, her breathing is erratic. She tries to move but quickly stumbles forward and falls, "d… dammit!" She looks up and sees Tyrian walking towards her, his mad grin ever present.
"It looks like you got more than you bargained for and now you're all used up. Now it's time to go to sleep~" Tyrian cackles as he approaches her. "Sheep, sheep, sheep, It's time for sleep. Rest your head. It's time for bed. In the morning, you may wake. Or in the morning, you'll be dead~"
Tyrian reaches out to grab her when something crashes behind them, sending the two back. As the dust settles, Tyrian sees what crashed and it was one of the Lancer type Grimm, slowly disintegrating into nothing. Tyrian is shocked. These Grimm are capable of taking down an Atlesian airship easily yet this one was effortlessly defeated.
Who could have done this?
His question is quickly answered as something soon touches down from above. From the dust, Tyrian could spot two silver dots staring at him before moving towards the downed Amber. "Oh, it's you!" His mad grin comes back in full force. "You're the one my Goddess seeks, the one with a soul just as black as hers!" He cackles loudly as the view switches between Tyrian, Amber, and the figure. "We searched everywhere, but we never thought you would hide with a bunch of bandits. But now when I hand you over along with the two maidens, my Queen will not only be happy, she will be absolutely-" Tyrian never finishes as a skeletal hand appears and fires a red beam straight at him.
*BOOM!*
The attack sends the scorpion flying back, catching the attention of his partner while pinning down Raven.
The figure walks out of the smoke. "I've only been away for a day and this place is already a mess." I glare at the ones responsible. "Now, who wants daddy's belt?"
Present
I stare at Hazel, one of Salem's pawns as he holds Raven's head with his large hand ready to crush her. Looking down, I notice Vernal's beaten and unconscious body resting on the ground.
It's hard not to kill on the spot.
Hazel stares at me before focusing on my [Silver Eyes]. "I see, so you're the one we were looking for." He lets go of Raven's head and walks forward. Tyrian slowly gets up and looks at Hazel. "Now, now, there's no need to interfere. I've already called dibs."
Hazel blocks his advance with his large forearm. "No. You take the maidens. I will handle him."
"Party-pooper!" Tyrian screeches and moves towards a weakened Raven.
I look right and then look left; all fire and ruin with the screaming filling the background.
Hazel Rainart
Title: Tired Servant, The Gentle Giant, The Hypocrite
Race: Human
Level: 74
HP: 24,650
MP: 0
SP: 31,440
AP: 7,400
VIT: 555
STR: 686
DEX: 555
INT: 282
WIS: 148
MAG: 0
LUK: 306
CHA: 324
Semblance: Numbing Agent
Description: [Expand]
Thoughts about you: Naïve, someone Ozpin must not get his hands on
Tyrian Callows
Title: Mad Servant, Serial Killer, Witch Cultist, Masochist, Sadist
Race: Faunus (Scorpion)
Level: 79
HP: 31,250
MP: 0
SP: 21,080
AP: 17,800
VIT: 675
STR: 402
DEX: 475
INT: 211
WIS: 166
MAG: 0
LUK: 222
CHA: 148
Semblance: Aura Disruption
Description: [Expand]
Thoughts about you: Wants to capture to please his Goddess
[These guys are pretty strong. You should be careful]
Two sword constructs appear and I grab them before soon charging at Hazel. The giant simply steps aside and sends a kick at me, but I quickly move out of the way and manage to slash at Hazel's forearm before jumping back and putting some distance between us. Hazel glances at the cut not even batting an eye at the blood flowing out of it.
"We were informed of your strength." Hazel speaks in a deep, distorted voice due to his Dust crystals. "You will not find me wanting."
"Tell me," Hazel looks at me. "Do you ever count?"
Hazel looks at me perplexed. "Count what?"
"How many children have you killed during your time with Salem?" I asked.
Hazel seemingly freezes on the spot and actually looks dejected. "...4,789."
"You did count!" I exclaim.
Hazel says nothing.
"I just don't understand." I begin. "Your sister wanted to be a Huntress, she wanted to help people. Yet instead of honoring her memory, you spit on it by not only working for the woman who most likely was responsible for her death, but also kill the hundreds she swore to protect." Hazel's expression morphs into one of rage. "You must be a real fucking idiot."
Hazel roars and throws himself at me but a Gaster Blaster appears in front of him fires a red beam at point-blank, sending him flying backwards. The giant lands on the ground and quickly picks himself up like nothing happened.
He cracks his neck.
[This could be a problem]
"Your efforts are in vain." The giant stabs his hands into his belt and a third crystal joins the first two. Then a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth. With each insertion, Hazel's muscles twist and warp, absorbing the properties of each element giving him a sort of outer shell. I keep looking up, and up, and up again as he keeps growing to monstrous size. "I do not feel pain!"
He moves with a speed that belies his new size and slams his fist into my face. I instinctively dodge and move to slash him with my construct but the bastard blocks with arm, now coated in a stone-like shell.
But I wasn't fast enough to react to the electrical current that followed.
"Aaaargh!"
Electricity slams into me and every muscle clamps down, forcing me to one knee. Even with my resistance to electricity, it still hurts like hell! Hazel pounces and decks me in that moment of weakness, nearly laying me out on the floor. Anyone else would've been finished, surely. A small trail of blood whistles into the air as I force myself to focus.
"Okay, Okay… you got me." My body wheezes smoke. "Shoulda seen that coming."
Hazel's expression remains indifferent. "That should have killed you."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll find that I'm more difficult to take down than you thought." My eyes begin to glow. "How about we get straight to the point?"
Hazel doesn't blink as his opponent vanishes from the spot he was standing. Hazel backs away just in time to barely miss the spear that was about to cut his arms in half. I plant the spear into the ground then proceed to kick him in his face. Hazel lets out an annoyed grunt and grabs my leg attempting to electrocute me, but I swipe him with my other leg and leap back. I rush in and deliver a series of attacks that Hazel attempts to block. Hazel manages to grab my spear and opens his mouth and he hurls fire at me like a dragon.
I let go of [Fēngbào Lóng Yá] and moved out of the way. He throws the spear and charges towards me. 'The hell!? I didn't know he could do that!?' I open my [Inventory] and take out [Palindel] and shoot Hazel in the face, impairing his vision. I use this opportunity to run around him and grab my spear as Hazel's vision readjust and glares at me.
"Your tribe is in ruins, your allies are weakened and in disarray." Hazel states. "It is pointless to resist. Surrender and Salem may spare your life. No one else has to die today."
As he said this, my eyes wander elsewhere. Tyrian is fighting Raven, though "fighting" wouldn't be the right word as Tyrian is pretty much toying with the woman. Her attacks are slower and her injuries from before haven't healed, not to mention her Aura is barely hanging by a threat. Tyrian charges at her but before Raven can counter he ducks below and sends a kick right at her chin, sending her flying backwards. I glanced at Vernal, still knocked out and Amber is struggling to get back up.
"Tch, guess there's no other way…" I raise my hand and concentrate. 'Please, let this work.'
Loud thumping is heard as Hazel turns to see several Grimm heading this way. They are bear-like in appearance with black fur and bony spikes on their backs and arms, as well as white, bone-like masks with red detailing, but are much larger and stockier. Alongside them are gorilla-like Grimm with bone-like plates covering their bodies at certain places like armor. A red pattern or symbol resembling an eye is present on their back.
[Essence of Darkness activated]
Beats of sweat form on my forehead as bits of my skin begin to turn chalk white. "Ngh, never had to control this many before..." My eyes gain a red glint. "ATTACK!"
The Grimm immediately pounced on Hazel without a moment's hesitation. Hazel fights back but is pushed back by the Grimm's overwhelming numbers. Tyrian is about to deal the final blow to Raven when he hears the cries of several Grimm and sees her Goddess' children attacking Hazel. "TRAITORS! HOW DARE YOU ALL ATTACK AN ACOLYTE OF YOUR QUEEN!" He never noticed the looming figure closing in on him.
*SLASH*
Tyrian's eyes widen as he feels immense pain from his back. He turns to the horrifying realization that his scorpion tail has been cut off and the person responsible is now carrying Raven on his shoulder. "YOU BIT-" He's interrupted by the gun aimed at his head and fires, sending him backwards.
I waste no time and grab Vernal and Amber. "IF ANYONE IS STILL ALIVE, RETREAT TO THE FOREST! DO YOU HEAR ME, RETREAT!" I dash and leap away, leaving the battle and everything else to burn.
Sometime Later...
I keep running into the forest until I spot a cave big enough to hide in. I cautiously enter the cave, and after a quick check surmise that there aren't any Grimm inside. "This will do." I gently put the girls down on the floor. "[Heal]" A field of green light surrounds the three girls as their injuries begin to heal. "You're gonna be okay now."
[So what do you plan to do now? The tribe is destroyed and surely Hazel and Tyrian are hunting you down as we speak]
"I don't know. Just give me some time to think…" I said as I focus on healing the girls.
[You could have killed Hazel back there if you wanted to and yet you didn't. Why is that?]
"Sometimes you can't win every encounter. Besides, I couldn't let Raven, Vernal and Amber die." I said.
[Seriously? What are you, some kind of "holier-than-thou" type of character? These people are bandits: they kill, steal, and pretty much ruin lives. The little maiden is the only one worth a damn. They do not deserve your mercy]
"Honestly?" I close my eyes in silence. "You're absolutely right." I open them again. "If things had played out differently, I would have killed them all, taken the [Spring Maiden] and would be on my merry way to the relic."
[Then why didn't you? Why prolong this charade?]
"... something happened."
[Its because of Vernal isn't it]
I didn't say anything, but that was enough.
[I can't believe what you're saying, you're doing all of this for the bandit girl. You really are an idiot]
A smile forms on my face as I finish healing them. I stand up and walk out of the cave and see the smoke coming from beyond. "It's still burning…" Suddenly the sounds of moving grass and crushed branches grabs my attention. A couple of figures walk out of the bushes and take a sigh of relief as Gregor and a few others come into view. "You've survived."
"Barely, the Grimm were setting a tight perimeter around the wall. A good number of us died so that we could get through." Gregor tightens his grip on his weapon. "If only I was back in my prime, there would be more alive."
"Don't tell me," My words quiver at what he's implying. "You're all that's left."
Gregor looks down in shame. "They were the only ones I've managed to protect. Forgive me."
I grit my teeth as my knuckles slowly turning white as blood slowly flows out.
"However," My attention switches back to Gregor. "We did manage to trap a certain rat." Two people slowly come into view and my eyes widen at who is with them.
Shay D. Mann.
My fingers begin to twitch erratically, my pupils shrink and my teeth grind harder. Before anyone can react, I grab Shay by the throat and throw him into the outer wall of the cave.
[Gamer's Mind] tries to calm me down, but I refuse. I WANT to be angry!
Shay moans in pain before being restrained by my Aura while two sword constructs appear mere inches from his throat. "Wa-wait, I can explain!"
"EXPLAIN!? YOU BETRAYED US, YOU GOT THE ENTIRE TRIBE KILLED AND WORST OF ALL YOU LED SALEM TO OUR FUCKING DOORSTEP!" I roar out.
"I-I'm sorry, okay I didn't know this was going to happen!" Shay cries out. "They said that they would leave the tribe alone if I lead them to you and the girl! They even promised to help me become the new leader of the tribe!"
"AND YOU FUCKING BELIEVED THEM!?" I yelled. "NOW THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE AND THEY WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO GET WHAT THEY WANT!" The swords draw blood from his neck. "I HAVE HALF A MIND TO JUST SLICE YOUR HEAD OFF YOUR SHOULDERS!"
"P-please! I'll do anything, ANYTHING!" Shay pleads.
A sadistic grin appears on my face. "Then you can di-"
"WAIT!"
I turn to see a familiar kid wearing a red bandanna. "Please don't kill him!"
"...you have 5 seconds to tell me why." I ordered.
"He saved my mom!" The kid exclaims. "If he wasn't there, my mom would've been shredded by the Grimm." He then points to a woman with ragged clothes and visible claw marks all over her body.
I look at the woman and then the kid. "..." The Aura constructs disappear and Shay falls on all fours but before he can get up my foot pins his head to the ground. "Listen and listen good, you pathetic waste of oxygen. I'm only letting you draw breath because you still have some use to me. Do not think of backstabbing me or you will never see the light of the moon again! Do you understand!?"
"Y-yes sir!" Shay said, frightened.
[Even if you spare him, I can't say that Raven will share the sentiment]
'She won't, but that's what I'm counting on.' I thought. "Hey, kid what's your name?"
The boy gulps. "R-Ryu sir."
"Nice to finally meet you properly." I pat his head.
"So what's the plan, boss?" Gregor asks.
I look up to see the Bullhead closing in on us. "We're gonna have a meeting with an itsy bitsy spider."
Hazel breaks the neck of the Grimm and falls with a loud thud. Hazel wheezes, he has finally defeated all of the Grimm that the boy has sic on him. He did not expect the boy to be able to control Grimm. Is this why Salem wants the boy so badly?
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" A familiar voice screeches out. "That son of a bitch!"
Hazel sees Tyrian approaching… and carrying his tail? "That bastard cut off my tail!" His eyes are screaming bloody murder. "I'll kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
"You can't kill him. Salem wants him alive." Hazel states in a matter of fact tone.
Tyrian growls. "Don't care! He will pay, pay, PAY!"
Hazel merely stares and sighs, it's difficult to talk to him when he is like this.
"Is that disobedience I hear in your voice Tyrian?" The two men turn to see a Seer floating towards them before its tentacles curl in on itself and its head cracks. The Grimm dies and falls to the ground, only for black mist to pour out of its head and take the form of Salem. "It seems I overestimated your loyalty."
Tyrian quivers and bows on all fours ignoring his fallen limp. "F-forgive me, Goddess. I wasn't thinking!"
"Naturally." Salem looks at the damage and the dead Grimm everywhere before turning to Hazel. "What has happened here?"
Hazel bows. "The boy escaped with the maidens, your Grace. However, before he did he somehow sent all of the Grimm after me."
Salem's eyes widened a little. "Is that truly so? Fascinating." An eerie smile forms on her lips.
"Your Grace?" Hazel asked.
"I will overlook your failure this once, Tyrian. You will return to the castle to have your injuries healed." Salem states. "Except you Hazel. I have another assignment for you."
Hazel arches an eyebrow. "What is it?"
If Hazel wasn't afraid of Salem's smile, he is now. "I would like to run an experiment, and I have the perfect test subject in mind."
A preview, would you kindly?
"What are you doing?" Raven asked.
I finish carving a symbol on a rock. "I'm carving runes into these pebbles. This book she gave me turned out to be a guide for different types of magic."
Raven gawks and picks up the half-opened book on my desk. "Really?"
"Yep." I said, popping the "p". "Can you pass it back to me? I haven't finished reading it yet."
*BANG, BANG, BANG!*
[You're not stopping her?]
"You're joking right? I'm surprised it took her this long to do it."
Neo tugs at my sleeve. "I know, I know. I haven't forgotten my promise."
"Atlas!" I walk out the Bullhead. "What a dumb!"
Author Notes
And here it is. This chapter took longer to write because I mostly didn't know what direction to go with so I had a friend on Discord give some ideas and I managed to finish it.
Its an interesting change of pace don't you think?
The Branwen Tribe is destroyed with only a small group of survivors. Hazel is pretty much the Juggernaut of RWBY being unable to feel pain and the Dust crystals giving all sorts of powers though he is not invulnerable, I think. The MC let Shay live out of consideration for the kid, but Raven and Vernal wouldn't share the same sentiment, and what's this experiment Salem wants to conduct?
As always, leave a review/comment.
Peace~