Hello everyone how are you doing? I hope you are all enjoying vol. 7 as much as I do so far.
Chapter 31 is here; I hope you enjoy it. Thanks once more for reading, favoring and following. Have fun!
The half-rotten cellar door almost fell apart as Yang pushed it open. She raised her lamp and entered, followed by the rest of the team. "It is as empty as before" she announced.
"Start searching for any traces of trapdoors or-" "found it!" Blake's voice cut off Ruby's command, making all of them run towards the raven-haired beauty.
She was kneeling on the ground, her glove-covered fingers having traced a small line through the mold. "How did we miss it when we first checked here?" she asked.
"Well" Yang knelt next to her, using her metal arm to extend the opening her partner had created "I didn't check out for hidden passages to be honest." When the line became large enough, she pushed her fingers in it and pulled with all her might.
"Grrr, this thing is stuck! I will have to wash my arm after tha-" the sound of wood scratching on stone cut her off, as her efforts paid off and the trap door opened wide, exposing them to a dark, deep opening.
And a murky, nauseating smell of decay accompanying it. "Gah! What is this?" Blake's nostrils burnt down to the point she seriously considered them being damaged as she jumped away from the putrid smell.
"I have never smelled something that bad- and I have tasted Ruby's home cooking!" Weiss screamed as she pulled a half-dazed Yang away from the gateway to rotting hell.
"I am sure my food smelled better than this" was the only thing the accused girl said before gulping down a mouthful of water. "This is even worse than the smell of corpses!"
After a few minutes of recomposing themselves, not without the utilization of some very colorful and intense verbal complains, a reluctant team RWBY gathered next to the atrocious gate.
"Ok, it is as dark as it goes" Ruby announced, after repeatedly failing to notice anything inside the opening. "Which means we have to investigate; Blake, if you please."
Three sets of eyes turned around to Blake who had never been so hateful of her faunus heritage before. "I am sure this is profiling in many regions" she bitterly said.
"Well, we are not in any of them to begin with" Yang joked.
"For the record, I feel for you" Weiss replied, giving her a handkerchief as she flipped her fingers and a floating platform appeared on the opening.
Blake stepped on the glyph, holding her breath as much as possible; the smell was sickeningly sweet and engulfed her even before the ex-heiress started lowering the array.
But even that was nothing in comparison to the assault her nostrils suffered as soon as her head got lower than the ceiling. She reflexively closed her eyes, trying to muster some strength to focus her mind.
It smelled of rotten fish, mixed with the aroma of an ocean long dead and the sweet odor of decompose. In other words, it was plainly horrible. She opened her eyes, trying to hold her breath as much as possible until she could adjust to it.
"Are you ok, Blakey?" Yang's scarf-covered head peeked at her from the trap door, visibly worried. "The smell is even worse here- I can't even describe how bad it is!" she replied, before taking a look around.
"The tunnel is indeed here" she said after a few minutes. "It's not very tall and made of stone" She opened her lamp "I would say around 4 meters high and five or six wide."
She pointed the lamp to the ground- and immediately regretted it. "The entire place is covered in fungus and the floor is filled with rotting fish" she said in disgust. "There are some old mine rails here, half rotten and slimy."
Three disgusted groans followed hers. "Anything else?" Ruby shouted from above. "No, I don't see anything else of importance" she replied. "Good, we are coming down."
The platform got dismissed and Blake gracefully jumped to the ground. Her teammates followed soon enough, the light from Weiss' sword and Ruby's torch joining hers.
"My God, it truly is horrible" Weiss' face took a horrified expression "I will burn my boots after we return home. And then I will burn the incinerator" she emphasized.
"All right; let's get going" Ruby announced. "The sooner we get to the mansion, the sooner we are out of here." She turned to the north and lit up the path- it was slightly uphill and as unwelcoming as the rest of the place.
In addition… "Is it just me, or is this place kind of hazy?" she asked. "Well, the atmosphere is kinda heavy; and there is something that feels kind off around here" Yang said. "It's the smell and mustiness- the ceiling is practically dripping. It makes us dizzy" Blake explained.
"Well, we will get used to it. If anything, we have the map for emergency exits to help us leave" Weiss said as she turned around to adjust her backpack on her-
Her breath caught up on her throat. It was only for a moment that the murky, hazy atmosphere changed. But in that moment, she saw the figure of a tall, white-haired woman with stern blue eyes looking at her.
And then the moment passed and Weiss blinked. There was no one here. Of course she isn't here! What the Dust, Schnee! Pull yourself together!
"Snowpuff? I everything alright?" she turned around. Yang had walked next to her and was now looking at her in worry. Blake and Ruby were standing up right behind the blonde, same worried expressions on their faces.
"Yeah, sorry… this place must have gotten to me. I thought for a moment I saw Winter back there" she said bitterly, shaking her head.
Yang's hair stood on edge and Ruby's worried face became more intense. Blake walked past them and checked the south part of the tunnel "there is no one here- thankfully I will add."
"I must be getting all sentimental- how unbecoming" the pale girl murmured before shooting a confident smile at her girlfriend. "Its fine- it was just a passing thought" she exclaimed.
Yang raised an eyebrow but nodded in acceptance. "Lead the way, Rubes. I will keep rear guard, if that's okay with you baby- no sexual puns intended." Ignoring her sister's attempt at humor, the reaper turned around and started leading them forward.
Yang hesitated for a moment and looked around as if trying to remember something, but after Weiss started walking she dismissed her thoughts and followed suit.
-o-
"We can't go on like this" Ruby groaned. It had been nearly two hours since they had started walking and the situation was becoming more and more dire every passing minute.
Her eyes were burning and she was sure her nose would have already been permanently damaged. And she didn't even want to get started on her stomach.
But these were not even the worst part, no. The most horrible thing that had happened to them down here was the hallucinations.
At first, they had dismissed it as a mere trifle due to the over-stimulating atmosphere. But they kept on nagging them, becoming more vivid, more intense and much more frequent the further the girls delved inside the tunnel.
The reaper bit her lips as the amber-eyed visage vanished behind a thick yellow miasma. She took a deep breath, took a sip of water to wash the bile off and turned around to her team.
Weiss was sniffing next to Yang. The tall blonde seemed to be at the best condition among them, gently supporting her girlfriend while Weiss was murmuring and sobbing.
"I have accepted it long ago...why do they have to shove her into my face like that?" Weiss whimpered, allowing Yang to rub her back. "Its ok baby… you are strong. I know you are."
Blake on the other hand stoically stood near the wall, observing the strange flora for the umpteenth time this evening. "How are you doing, Blake?" She didn't turn around, but she answered nonetheless.
"It may sound macabre, but I have gotten used to dreaming of Sun getting hurt at this point" she replied trying to be as comforting as possible. "And I will die before I let my fears endanger any of you again."
Ruby and Yang exchanged smiles of approval and even Weiss reacted to that, kindly dismissing the tall girl's helping hands. "Way to go Blake; now I feel totally pathetic for breaking down like this."
"What? That wasn't what I meant!" she replied, but Weiss shook her head and wiped her tears away "I know- but it did the trick. Thanks." "You… are welcome?" the faunus looked back at her, confused.
"Well, if everything is settled let's continue!" Ruby said. "Are you sure you don't want to rest a little, Weiss? I mean, we could stop for a few minutes or something."
"To be fair, the only thing I want is to get away from these rotting fish as soon as possible" she pinched the bridge of her nose "this smell is so putrid, I can't-"
"That's it!" Yang's voice cut off Weiss' complains. "That's what bothered me all this time!" Three sets of eyes stared at her outburst before she explained. "How did so many fish get here? We are hundreds of meters away from the sea!"
Blake raised her eyebrows "she does have a point, come to think of it. That much fish is truly unnatural." Ruby scratched her head "Maybe they stored them here?" "They are too fresh, Rubes."
"Oh my Dust!" it was the ex-heiress' time to scream. "Winter again?" Yang turned to her, but Weiss didn't reply. Instead, she took out the children's diary and skimmed through the pages until she found the one she wanted.
"Robus Red wrote" she announced in a panting voice "we used Dad's tunnels to go to the lighthouse. He made them to easily move gold from the mine to the harbor."
"They communicate with the ocean; we knew that already" Ruby commented. "Are you a dolt, you dunce? The tide, Ruby! This is why this place is filled in rotting fish and fungi- it gets submerged with the tide- how foolish we were to miss it!"
Nobody answered- nobody had to. The implications of what Weiss was saying were so dreadful, words escaped them. But that lasted only for a few moments.
"Do we know when the tide comes?" "Late at night!" "Does anyone know what time is it?" "SHUT UP AND CALM THE DUST DOWN!" Ruby's voice erupted above everyone else.
Silver eyes narrowed in determination as her team stopped, realizing their folly and trying to compose themselves. "Weiss, I want you to close the tunnel behind us. Do you have enough earth dust to do it?"
The pale girl nodded in acknowledgment and moved backwards, drawing Myrtenaster. "We are sealing ourselves in, Rubes" Yang commented. "We will use any emergency exit available- Weiss' wall will buy us enough time."
Ruby turned around, took a large breath once more, ignoring the burning stench of the hissing smokes and the taunting images lurking between the hallucinations of her mind.
"Let's pick up the pace, team! And no stopping; if anyone feels bad, tell me. I will have Yang carry her. That means you are not allowed to faint, sis."
"Worst motivational speech ever" the alabaster huntress, having just finished blocking the tunnel, said. "It doesn't matter, LET'S GO!" Ruby screamed, undeterred, before once more marching across the rotting carpet.
-o-
For many years after the events of that night, any time the girls would be asked about what exactly transpired inside the decaying tunnels of death, they would answer vaguely and in an unsure manner.
Weiss would emphasize on the intensity of the rotting fish smells that made any sort of imprinted memory difficult. Yang would talk about the threat of drowning looming over their heads as they pressed forward.
Blake and Ruby would describe the uneasiness of the misty yellow spores that created cloud of wicked images in the air; hateful eyes playing all over the lights of their lamps.
They would often describe their own part of the story, missing facts and mashing memories together, as their sense of time and continuity was totally messed up from the hours they had spent inside the bowels of the earth.
All of them however would agree on one thing; at some point after Weiss had sealed the entrance behind them, they heard the sound of water flooding the tunnel and crashing on stone.
They stood in the middle of the pass, in total silence, holding their breaths. Unknowingly, all four of them had reacted by doing the same thing; try and listen to any breach in the stone wall that kept them safe at the moment.
Few dramatic minutes passed by, when the absence of running water sounds allowed them to relax. "That took years off my life" Yang exclaimed. "Yes, but let's continue- we don't know how much time we have until it-"
Ruby's voice was caught in her throat as another sound disrupted her. It was not the echoing of crashing waves; nor was it the sound of running water. It was a fast-paced, heavy bumping sound originating from behind them.
"What is this?" Weiss asked in a worried voice. "It's a non-rhythmical sound… and heavy… bashing?" Blake replied. "It's like someone is slamming a wall or-"
The faunus didn't finish, as all of them realized what she was saying. "Time to make a run for it!" their leader screamed before they dashed forward.
"I will try to scout ahead for the exit!" a red burst of petals was heard as she vanished forward. "Be careful will you?" Yang answered, despite knowing her sister had already gotten out of range.
"Who would try and break a flooded passage?" she then screamed from the back of their flank. "What is the question, not who" Weiss answered, not breaking her sprint.
"Keep your energy for running will you?" Blake shouted, not receiving any response. She jumped over a pile of rotten flesh, avoiding sliding on it.
Yang slammed the mass of putrid filth away, clearing the path for the freezerburn pair. Weiss dashed forward, trying to keep up with the most physically powerful members of her team.
Not that they would ever leave her behind, of course, but she would hate to see them getting delayed because of her. She already had wasted enough time by stopping now and then because of the hallucinations.
The slamming sounds kept on, becoming more and more frequent and powerful. There was no doubt at this point that something was trying to smash her barrier- and she definitely didn't want to meet it down here.
They ran for a few more minutes, the constant bumping cracking their nerves, when the sound of cracking filled their ears. The mortifying sound of running water followed suit.
The ex-heiress immediately felt something on her shoulder and turned around- only to see a wave of petals floating in the air and Ruby running next to her, a serious look on her face.
"There is an exit ahead, but you must go faster. Yang; take care of Blake. I will carry Weiss" she said and grabbed her partner's waist. Weiss didn't even try to object as the world became a blur, sending both of them forward.
A single look was all it took for the other pair to process the plan. Yang grabbed an orange shard from her pocket and gritted her teeth. She hated using this, despite the obvious advantages.
But now was definitely not the time to chicken out. She pressed the hard, sharp crystal on her palm, pain wracking her very skin as she forcibly activated her semblance.
Energy surrounded her body. Of course, there was nobody there to ditch damage to, but the temporary boost of power from the dust wracking her skin, combined with the lightning dust was more than enough.
Yang sped up, ran forward and took Blake with her while passing by. She then started accelerating, trying her best to outrun the running flood hunting them.
Was she gaining distance? Was she losing? She couldn't understand and quite frankly couldn't do anything about it. She kept running as fast as possible, her partner hugging her tightly.
"Yang, over here!" She stopped and looked up. A few meters above the ground was an open trap door with a broken ladder. Ruby and Weiss were looking at them from behind it.
Yang let go of Blake and the faunus nodded. The sound of the water was becoming more and more intense; it was getting closer. They both jumped on a platform quickly crafted by their friend and allowed Weiss to draw them upwards.
The flood filled the room, water covering the tunnel faster than a rampaging pack of Beowolves. The pair stood up and jumped, Weiss and Ruby grabbing them and pulling them upwards. The blonde was grateful for that- all that enhanced run had exhausted-
A long, fleshy, black clawed hand reached out of the water and got hold onto her leg. The sisters shared a surprised yelp as a very powerful force tried to pry the brawler off Ruby.
Hollow, guttural sounds of babbling and growling filled the tunnel as dozens of glistering red eyes looked at them. Having already pulled Blake up, Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster and revolved the chamber to orange.
The faunus was even faster. Nightfall unclasped and lashed out, severing the clawed arm and earning a deep pained scream from below. Ruby pulled Yang up and Weiss unleashed all her pent-up fury on the creatures, emptying her lightning capsule on the underwater menace.
The sizzling sound and smell of burnt flesh accompanied a chorus of gasps and pains. Ruby slammed the trapdoor shut and Crown pierced the ground, sealing the opening with two layers of ice.
Without any delay, all four of them ran out of the unknown room, slamming shut the door behind them- and making sure to seal that as well. Their feet touched soft mud, and their lungs welcomed the familiar smell of foggy, musty night air. It was the best thing they had sensed for quite a while.
They took a couple breaths and, after making sure nothing was actually coming out from behind them, got up. In front of them was a burial ground, fungi-covered tombs greeting them back to the land of the living.
And behind it, a mansion, imposing and magnificent despite its obvious abandon, stood. Team RWBY, battered, exhausted and beaten, shared a triumphant look of determination.
"There's no place like home" Ruby drew Crescent Rose and moved forward, her friends on tow as they moved on, unaware of the amber eyes that looked at them from inside the towering building.