Before anything else, I own nothing but the original characters, and content therein related to them. RWBY is owned by RT, and any mentioned creator's work belongs to them, and them alone. Rest in peace Monty, your vision lives on in us all.
Now. A few things. I got tasked with something at work that's been taking a lot of my time, and I can't say more than that about it.
Obviously this has created a few setbacks in the creation of my other projects... Which is why I'm going to sort of do this next bit democratically... I'm gonna do a poll, and whichever option wins is going to be what I direct more of my energy towards after this whole shebang at work is over. I'm making it nice and simple, I don't need to think about which one I should pilot and see how it does, I'm just going to ask which one sounds the best and give y'all what ya want.
CHAPTER 6
After escaping Haven Academy through a crevice beneath the mountain, Cinder Fall had disappeared into the kingdom's underbelly. She'd returned to her old ways of stealing just to survive, but after a most fortunate pilfering of a handful of gold she was able to seek out her revenge, and correct the mistake she had made in doing Salem's will. The Spider's Nest was jam packed when Cinder walked back in one week after she'd requested information from Little Miss. Malachite, and Cinder finally got what she wanted. Information. She'd learned that the children were going to Atlas. If they weren't already there. Her business done, she prepared to leave the bar, before hearing the fat woman speak again. "You know, you turned out to be quite the interesting customer…" The sound of three chairs rubbing against the wooden floor of the overhang in the bar, one after another, drew Cinder's attention, and when she looked up, she saw a former underling Neopolitan, then two strange men beside her, one in a black SDC Security Squadron uniform, the other in more casual clothing. Both men with weapons drawn.
The Security Squad enforcer racked his SMG bolt to the rear, then gripped the magazine, as the bearded man bit the slide of his massive .50 caliber pistol, and cycled the action to chamber a round, with his right hand firmly gripping an odd broadsword that got wider towards the tip, which looked to have seen better days, as the sword was missing a chunk from the front upper quarter. "Neo…?" Cinder muttered, as the two men with guns flanking either side of her pointed their weapons down into the crowd of bar patrons. All of the spiders looked up, and went wide eyed, Miss Malachite included.
"Nothing personal… It's just business." Crag said, as he and Johannes started firing into the back alley bar goers below them. The Enforcer with 2 custom made 50 round drums for the occasion, and his semblance "Captive Audience" active, gunned down every one of the auraless or weak auraed spiders. Crag stayed up on top of the second floor, shooting into the back wall, hitting Miss Malachite and her guards. Johannes shot into the floorboards below him, killing the people that tried to escape through the front door, their attempts pointless, as they crashed into an invisible barrier. Once the first volley had been fired, the two gunmen reloaded. Brennen walked towards the stairs as he put his second magazine in, Crag started shooting the frightened spiders on the bar's overhang with them, and once his ammo ran out, he hacked the last two to pieces with his sword.
Once the second wave of fire from Brennen was finished, he stepped down to the ground floor and dumped his first 30 round magazine, filling the bar counter with bullet holes, killing the server hiding behind it, who was grabbing a shotgun. After the need for automatic fire was gone, he pulled out his Pistol model 38, "Honey," and went around the bar looking for survivors, only 9 in total other than their target. Crag and Neo followed down the stairs after him, and stood squarely in front of Cinder now, who had hardly moved once the cascade of lead had been directed away from her.
"What are you doing?!" Cinder asked in a shout, punctuated by Brennen killing a man who hid under the stairs. Neo made Roman's old hat appear, taking away the illusion of its absence.
"We're looking for some people. Neo here is looking for you, I'm looking for Rot Schrodinger, and Brennen…" Crag was cut off by a man's screaming in fear before the SS enforcer executing him. "Is looking for the man who kidnapped Weiss Schnee." There were two more gunshots, the third and fourth survivors killed.
"I don't have time for your misplaced blame, Neo. I didn't kill Roman." Cinder said, before the 5th of the survivors screamed in fear, only to be silenced by a gunshot.
Brennen spoke up. "We know, but we figure that you would know the whereabouts of those who did kill Roman."
"Well then if you want revenge, you'll help me." Cinder said, as Neo just frowned at her, clicking out the hidden blade in her parasol, as Brennen, killed two more survivors "You're not the only one who's holding a grudge. I want to find and kill Rot, Ruby, Pyrrha, Jaune, all of them, they're the ones to blame for your friend's death." Cinder said, as Brennen shot the 8th survivor. "If you want Roman to be avenged, I can help you… We just need to work together." Cinder said. Neo gave the proposition some thought and nodded. Crag put his hand cannon in it's chest holster, and sheathed his sword as Brennen approached the last survivor, Miss. Malachite herself.
"You almost done?" Crag asked.
Brennen crouched down to face the portly woman as she bleed into the floor. "Nearly." He responded, as the woman tried to stab him with her steak knife. The attack simply bounced off his aura. "Oh so typical of a you Mistralians. Fighting when you have already lost. Au revoir Mademoiselle Malachite." Brennen said, before standing up and shooting the last survivor in the head.
Brennen deactivated his semblance, and the unseen barrier around the building dropped. Cinder looked at the three people around her as sound from outside the bar could be heard once more. "Now then. Let's talk."
North, along the snow capped mountains of Anima. Team RWBY and their friends had come to the front porch of the largest house among the farming settlement. "I don't get it, every abandoned village or town in Anima's always been damaged. This place just looks… Empty." Ruby said, as her uncle tested the front door's lock.
"Maybe everyone left in a hurry… Knew about a grimm horde coming, or something?" Weiss suggested.
"Or something." Pale muttered, before Qrow kicked the door in, and Clayton entered to secure the front hallway. Yang filled in behind him to check the room to the left, and Blake the room to the right. "Oh quit the theatrics, nobody's here." Pale said, as he moseyed on into the study to the left. Everyone calmed down slightly once the front door was barricaded with a heavy table.
Weiss and Yang went to find blankets, while Oscar lit a fire in the study. Clayton and Ruby walked over to the few pictures hung up in the hallway, about to check what was in the closet, and the door at the end of the hall. "14 people at least…" Clayton said, observing the photo.
"What do you think happened?" Blake asked, approaching the two.
"I don't know, but something doesn't feel right." Ruby said, before Weiss's scream of terror could be heard from upstairs. Without missing a beat, Ruby warped up to the second floor with her semblance, as Clayton jumped up to the ledge of the stairs, off the corner of the wall, and vaulted over the banister. With Crescent Rose and Kingslayer raised beside it, the two entered the master bedroom, and found Weiss and Yang, the ex-heiress having stumbled back to be supported by the blond. In front of them were two withered corpses… Two from the settlement photo.
Everyone had gathered in the study, keeping warm around the fire, save for Pale who was upstairs examining the two bodies, while Qrow was out searching the other houses. The two met in the hallway, and then went into the study. "It's the same in every house." Qrow said.
"What?" Yang asked, huddled up with Halcyone and Blake under a blanket.
"Almost every bed in every home… 11 people dead. It's like they just went to sleep and never woke up." Qrow said, as he went to warm himself by the fire.
"We can't stay here then right? Whatever killed these people has to be some sort of disease." Weiss said. Pale shook his head, having heard the end of her sentence as he came downstairs.
"Ain't no disease. No liquid shit, no vomit, no blood, no… Anything… Whole town just let themselves wither away and die of dehydration… Far as I can tell the corpses are almost a half decade and some change old. Well preserved up in the mountains… Cold air nearly year round kept 'em mostly intact." Pale said, as he sat down on the floor beside Blake.
"Not like we have much choice in staying here anyways. The storm's getting worse." Qrow added.
Maria stood up. "Well, might as well get comfortable." She said.
"Yeah, fat chance." Yang muttered, feeling her left hand start to shake.
"Well, this place wasn't abandoned, whatever it had is still going to be laying around. Food, spare parts." Ruby said.
"Parts, that's what we need most." Halcyone said.
Qrow stood back up. "I'll sweep the grounds again. Nobody else goes anywhere alone."
Halcyone got up off the floor. "Right, I'm checking the place for parts, and fuel. I guarantee I know exactly what's broken on the car. Shouldn't be too hard to find." Halcyone said, as Yang stood up with her.
"I'll go with you." She said, Halcyone nodded.
Clayton closed the door behind the departing three, and saw Weiss and Ruby in the doorway to the study, Weiss covered in a brown blanket like a Vacuo serape poncho, and Ruby, with her cloak completely covering her. "Hungry?" Ruby asked.
"Starving." Clayton said, as they went to check the house for food.
Pale stood up after a few seconds, and looked around. "Fire's dying." He thought. Walking over to the chair in the corner, and dragging it back over in front of the fire, he broke the legs off of it with a forceful kick, and tossed the scraped wood in. Sitting back down, Pale looked at the oversized blanket Blake was draped in, and decided he was too cold for this shit. Scooching closer, he wrapped both Blake and himself in the wool covering. "14 people in the portrait. 11 bodies… Think the kids got away?" Pale asked.
Blake looked at him in the corner of her eyes. "I hope so…" She said quietly.
"Tell you what… You keep that fire going, and I'll find us something to read." Maria said, getting out of her seat to find a book.
Out back, Halcyone and Yang opened up the shed. "Fuck yeah." Halcyone said, as she spotted the treasure trove of parts, and a tractor to cannibalize. Before stripping the thing for all it's worth, Halcyone decided to check the rest of the shed.
"What do you think happened to this place?" Yang asked.
"Who knows, who cares. Someone could have poisoned the well outside, but I wouldn't count on it. Pale said they were all dehydrated, and there wasn't any shit or vomit, so the dehydration wasn't because of any poison." Halcyone said. Yang just rubbed her head. "You alright?" Halcyone asked.
Yang blinked twice. "Yeah, just tired." She said, as Halcyone kicked a can full of combustion dust.
"Well we found fuel." She mused, as Yang kept walking into the shed. The long haired blond saw a trailer in the corner. Looking up and out the window, Yang was plagued by a flash of black. Blinking away what she initially saw as Adam Taurus, Yang looked outside again, seeing only a tree.
Yang blinked a few more times to shake off the thousand yard stare. It was a new symptom she'd been trying to hide. The shakes she got were manageable, the nightmares were easy enough to deal with now, the flashbacks and panic attacks always passed, but whenever it was over she felt detached for a second, and that was the worst part of it. The absence of feeling. "You alright?" Halcyone asked, as she picked up the fuel can, seeing Yang just standing there.
"Fine… Just… Seeing shit again." Yang admitted. Halcyone sighed. Her girlfriend's past experiences were not something that could be fixed easily. They tried of course, Halcyone and Yang did more than enough therapy sessions inside her own head, and it was helping to lessen the severity of Yang's problems… "You think Adam's still out there?" Yang asked.
Halcyone chuckled. "After the stunt he pulled? No… I don't think anyone would follow him anymore. Best case, he probably offed himself, worst he's still alive, and being chased across Anima's countryside." Halcyone spat on the floor.
"We can only hope." Yang said, with an empty smirk.
Pyrrha broke the rules a little. She went over to the house west of the main estate. With nothing better to do, she started searching for anything useful. The Bedroom was empty of even the corpse she was expecting to find. The bathroom had nothing but ornate soaps and a small first aid kit, which she took, silently apologizing to the deceased, who didn't seem to have been home when the rest of the village died. The kitchen was left unstocked, and the small living room was sparse of any sort of entertainment. The workshop on the other hand…
The shop was filled with barrels full of finely carved gun stocks, and a few broken ones. Multiple shotgun shells sat on a shelf in the corner. The shells were thicker than Clayton's, and longer than usual. There were a few speed loaders with four shells on each, and a waist pouch for them. Pyrrha couldn't help but think she found the home of the huntsman that lived on the farm. If that was the case, then where was he when everything went wrong? Out protecting the village? Did he run away? Pyrrha was unsure, but one thing was for certain. "These could come in handy." She said, taking as many of the shells off the shelf as she could carry, and stuffing them into the waist pouch.
In the main house, Ruby, Weiss, and Clayton went into the back room, finding an in-home bar. With a small application of fire dust, Weiss threw tiny fireballs at the candles in the room, allowing the three to see. "We should probably keep this room closed." Ruby said.
"What for?" Weiss asked looking at her partner.
Clayton chuckled mirthlessly. "Do the words 'raging alcoholic uncle' sound familiar?" He asked.
"Ooooooh." Weiss said. Replacing her mother with Ruby's uncle in her mind, and she could see why. The two checked the door at the end of the room. "Are we… Really still going to Atlas?" Weiss asked. Ruby sighed.
"Weiss, we have to, where is this coming from?" Ruby returned.
"You heard what Jinn said, if Salem can't be killed, then what's the point?" Weiss asked.
Clayton chuckled and shook his head. "Won't stop me from trying…"
Ruby was a little more stern. "Weiss, you can't be serious." She said flatly.
Weiss looked between the two and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm saying… I'm just tired." She said, as Clayton opened the back door, revealing to Ruby's scroll light more casks of wine, and shelves full of bottles.
"Great, more alcohol…" Ruby said.
"Anything else?" Weiss asked, as Ruby cast the light onto a cellar door… A locked and chained cellar door.
"Oh, I do not like that." Clayton said, though shrugging off the bad feeling the locked door gave him, rationalizing it was probably just to keep the kids from the photo out of an unfinished basement or village armory. Not feeling like wasting a shell or any amount of time on the lock, Clayton took his attention away from it.
"A wine cellar… Who built this place, Andre Roussimoff?" Weiss asked, as Ruby spotted canned food.
"Jackpot." She said, as Clayton walked over and opened up his messenger bag to fill it with canned meat and beans.
"Oh, we're eating good tonight." Clayton chuckled.
"Oh, it'll be just like that time at summer camp." Ruby said, with a grin.
Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile at the two's antics. "Better than nothing I suppose." She said, taking two cans in each hand... The trio left the room, unaware that the cellar door behind them had begun to open.
Author's note.
It struck me as odd that when scavenging the place, nobody tried to find extra bullets or fuel, or anything other than food or something to get everyone out on. With the car already being there, parts and fuel being found, ammo becomes just as important, because them leaving is dependent on how fast Halc can fix the car, and if that takes a while they might need to shoot a few grimm. As for where the three missing people from the photo are? You should know where the hunter lies, and the kids... I'll never tell.