Hello again! Chapter 22 is here. As always I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again for taking time to follow, favor or even read the story, I know I am repeating myself, but I really am grateful.
Blake held the wheel with all her might, as another violent impact made the entire ship shake. She slowly turned it to the right, hoping her meager experience wouldn't backfire at this point.
"Ruby!" she called her team leader. "I can't steer like this; their attacks are too powerful!"
It would take a few more hits for the Galeodons to throw them completely off course and, if Prof. Port's lessons were accurate enough, send them crashing on some reef.
The redhead cursed under her own breath as one of the monsters dived under their line of fire and slammed the ship's hull. Weiss held onto Yang, the blonde's arms strongly supporting her.
Their attacks were not enough; Galeodons had skin hard enough to rival Boarbatusk armor and the additional cover the sea provided them made this situation a lot trickier.
Think, you worthless excuse of a team leader, think! Another one dove outside, but this time Yang was waiting for it. Ember Celica blasted the beast back to the ocean, albeit less damaged than its owner would like to.
"Ruby!" her partner shouted next to her, sending a dozen cold blasts to the surface, forcing back another two. Ruby shot at the last one, saving them from another hit.
We can't hit them like this, and Blake is not strong enough to hold us on route. If that's how it is, then…
"Yang!" she shot another couple of bolts. "Yes, Rubes?" "Go help Blake stir the ship; you are the strongest of us- you are the only one who has a shot at stabilizing the wheel."
"What about-" "We will take care of them. Weiss, get the Queen ready." The couple exchanged a confused look, but quickly nodded.
Weiss flipped Myrtenaster and a large glyph appeared on air, the image of a pristine white Lancer Queen bursting through the shimmering light.
Meanwhile, Yang rushed to Blake. "What are you doing?" the cat faunus asked. "Leave the wheel to me; Rubes wants you to guide me on how to keep it steady."
Blake shot a worried look at the Lancer Queen that took off with the whiterose pair on top. And then she looked at the fog bank, steadily approaching them.
"I hope she knows what she is doing" another hit rocked the ship, Yang's muscles tensing as she managed to hold it still. "So do I Blakey."
"This plan is insane!" Weiss shouted as the Queen performed a full circle before diving towards the Grimm. "I know" Ruby replied "this is why I trust you to help me pull it off!"
"You insane, reckless idiot!" the pale girl accelerated and the Lancer sent out its stinger, grabbing one of the Galeodons as it approached the ship.
The monster flailed around violently, its massive bulk pulling them downwards. And then, a red burst of petals appeared on its back.
Using her boots and glove-covered hands to avoid the razor-sharp skin of the shark-grimm, she shot immediately into its open mouth.
The recoil threw her back and she burst once more upwards, allowing Weiss to grab her as the monster dissolved into thin air.
"Three to go!" she emotionlessly shouted. "Are you ok?" her partner asked in worry. "Yes, just get us closer and keep fishing them out!"
-o-
Yang suppressed a cry of joy as the third Galeodon fell to Ruby's reckless stunt. "I was worried but she seems to- ack!" she gasped as the last beast slammed them once more.
"Stay focused! Five to the right!" Blake screamed, trying to make the best of her faunus vision. The ship had just started enter the dense fog and even her superior senses could slightly help her navigate.
"This fog is abnormally thick… we are reaching the island." Yang turned the wheel five to the right, carefully following Blake's instructions.
"Isn't that a good thing? Galeodons do not hunt at shallow waters." The faunus didn't turn to look at her partner, focusing her best on the surroundings.
She instead replied "waters around such places are filled with reefs. Maneuvering the ship in such poor visibility is suicidal even for experienced sailors. And we don't know how much off- route the Galeodons threw us."
The sound of Crescent Rose being fired informed them that the last shark had been dealt with. "Weissy! Are you both ok? We are here!" Yang shouted.
"We are fine! Coming back to you!" her lover's voice replied, followed by the buzzing of the Lancer Queen.
"Phew…that went well- better than I expected." Blake didn't comment; she just kept scanning the area. Small reefs and shallows passed by them, the ship being in a comfortable-
Blake's senses tingled. Her eyes, trained and honed in addition to her faunus vision, spot something in the thick fog. A large rock, as tall as the ship stood in the middle of the sea, casting a dark shadow in the mist.
And it was in direct collision route to them. "Full right turn! NOW!" Yang's eyes opened wide and she obeyed the command even before she managed to see the enemy object blocking their path.
Ruby and Weiss reached the ship just in time to see Poseidon make a desperate turn, its hull scratching the enormous rock with a sickening sound that made their hair stand on edge.
Time seemed to stop, for the few seconds that passed before they realized the ship had managed to avoid being breached. Ruby let a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Weiss, however, held it even harder. Her eyes picked a small shine in the base of the rock, right where the ship had scratched it.
"No…" the energy burst suddenly rose from beneath the reef, filling her heart with dread. "YAAANG!" the ex-heiress' shout echoed into the fog one second before the giant explosion that engulfed them.
-o—
Dressed in a scarlet-colored blouse with a black dragon tribal and a long grey pair of pants, Alizar walked down the corridor of the abandoned mansion.
House Red was silent and eerie, its once lively and filled in action halls now stood empty. Empty to anyone but him, of course.
To him, the images of the bloody battle that had cost the lives of his family and the entire island were deeply engraved on each stone and wood.
"Father, what are they doing here? Why are they-" "I can't answer now, Elia. Get your brothers out of this place. Go to the beach and hide until I can find a way to get us out of here."
"Out? Are we leaving our home, father?" "I will explain later, my Little Flame. Please do as I say for now." He still remembered the determined look on his beloved sister's face "yes, father."
The kind older sister grabbed both her brothers' arms. Her warmth still lingered on his fingers. "Follow me. Let's go from the secret passage in the library."
He stopped and brushed the haze away from the window, viewing the dark, foggy wasteland the once peaceful meadows had become. For a second, he could see the red fires consuming the crops and burning down the servants' dormitory.
He was happy his mind hadn't managed to register the screams of people being burnt alive back then.
Alizar turned right at the end of the corridor. Green light emanated from the half-open library door. His eyes fell upon a splintered wooden chair across it.
Wasn't that where they had met Old Jonas the caretaker for the last time; filled in blood, his arms trebling while he tried to hold his musket?
"Jonas!" "M-Mistress Elia! Please get into the library!" He could hear his brother's screaming reply. "Come with us, Jonas. We-" the man stopped him and patted him on the head.
"Mr. Red asked everyone to help you get out." The sound of gunfire and screams echoed from below, making Alizar squeeze his sister's hand. She smiled at him, her smile the most beautiful thing the boy had seen in his life.
"And these old bones would rather rot in hell than disappoint your father- and you, young master." Elia quickly hugged him and her brothers followed.
"I love all three of you." Amber eyes looked at the elderly man in sorrow. "We love you too." And then, she turned and stepped into the library, her brothers after her.
Alizar opened the door, allowing the fluorescent light to fall upon him. He stepped in, leaving all memories burn away as he stared at the other occupants of the room.
Jaune Arc's body was lying on a large stone table, his half-naked form covered in obsidian talismans. Elaborate carved runes connected all of them, green energy circulating the comatose boy's aura and preserving his life force.
Next to him, Cherry was seated on an ancient-looking couch. Her weapon and mask were on a bench next to her, along with a large stack of books and a small lamp.
She was tugged in her flower-patterned kimono, her eyes never leaving the tome she held in her arms. A large silver periapt depicting the head of a Leviathan hung from her neck, framed by cherry-colored tresses.
Cherry colored skin protruded out of the silky fabric, her shapely legs and elegant arms reminding of the shrine maiden's pure, unmarred blood as she read her book in deep concentration.
"I never took you for the scholar type" he exclaimed. "It doesn't take a scholar to appreciate books" she replied. "Not that I expect someone like you to understand that."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman. "Exactly what it sounds like."
Alizar didn't reply. Instead, he kept glaring at her intensely, anger visible in his amber eyes. "You are not going to let me read in peace, are you?"
"When you insinuate things, you should see your claim to the end." She raised her head and her green eyes betrayed her lack of amusement. "Fair enough" she finally conceded, slamming the book shut.
"You are a revenge-obsessed freak with no moral code, no honor and no devotion to any higher cause than see the world burn. If you spent a little more time reading the books this excellent library has than waiting for team RWBY to arrive, maybe you would be a little less waste of this world's oxygen."
Alizar's mouth opened in a grimace of disgust "can't those pretty lips of yours do anything else than insult anyone nearby?"
She solemnly closed her eyes "my lips only speak what is in my mind- it is your fault for being such a worthless human being."
He exhaled deeply, trying to control his anger; picking up a fight with this monster was very low in his priority list in any case. "I remember you talking very respectfully to Rose on the phone back then."
Cherry's expression didn't change "Ms. Ruby Rose is a warrior who faced overwhelming enemies and overcame them staying true to her honor and pride. She deserves my respect and I will give it to her at any chance."
"She is the enemy!" "Irrelevant." The boy's disgusted expression grew "what do you mean by that?" The fox faunus opened her eyes and stared at him in disapproval.
"It means that I don't care why someone holds his weapon, I care how he does so. If they are an honorable warrior, I will take them on with respect. It's the same reason I am disgusted with you, even though we work together."
He groaned. That blunt way of hers expressing her emotions was so infuriating sometimes. "Is this about him?" he pointed at Jaune's form.
"Your plan of abducting a huntsman who gave all his power supporting his cause and lost his mind fighting with pride at the frontlines is insulting to everything I stand for" she whispered, lowering her gaze.
"Are you even serious?" he asked in dismissal. Her pupils dilated, her face donned a feral expression "as much as I can be. Your plan was disgusting and horrible and you should be ashamed of coming up with it."
"I didn't see you complain when you took him, or when chopped down these men at the exit. Aren't you being a hypocrite, considering that it is because of you that I managed to pull it off?"
Elegant, rosy fingers grabbed her periapt. "Unfortunately, my duty to serve my Gods precedes my honor. As the leader of this mission, you call the shots and I make them. My personal preferences are irrelevant, if it means serving Them."
Her face calmed down, and Alizar dropped his gaze as well. "Honestly, I can't understand whether you are wise or freaking nuts. You are a walking contradiction, Cherry."
"If your opinion becomes important enough for me at some point, I will not hesitate to ask for it; don't worry" she stood up, put on her shoes and grabbed her Naginata.
"Are you going out?" he asked. "Yes. I want to check if my Grimm-repelling wards are still in good shape. Take care of him" she pointed towards Jaune "if you do anything stupid, I will carve you to pieces."
She then walked out, the sound of her boots echoing in the stone-paved floor. Alizar sat on the couch, a dust cloud rising in the air as he made himself comfortable.
"Threatened by my teammate…perfect." He looked at the pile of books, noticing the one Cherry had bookmarked.
'Born of the Sea; a collection of sailors' tales and mysteries'
He grabbed the book and started reading, when the sound of an explosion broke the foggy silence. He smiled and stood up, slamming in shut and letting it drop on the desk.
Cherry's footsteps echoed once more in the corridor as she ran towards him, slamming the door open "do you have any idea what was that?"
His smile deepened, a vicious expression spreading all over his face "someone activated my dust explosive traps; seems team RWBY lives up to its reputation, after all."
"I hope you anticipated them coming earlier" the fox-girl harshly exclaimed. "Of course I did- I was hoping they would. Let's start preparing the altar; we will deal with them when the time is due."
The girl nodded "if they survive the hell Grimmwater has in store for them, that is" she said, before putting on her mask, allowing the sickening green to light its horrible visage.
P.S. So, we have reached Grimmwater. The arc is a little ambitious on my part about how to present all information and give a well-rounded view of the characters and the situation, so if anything comes out as confusing, needless or hazy, feel free to tell me. Thank you all in advance.