Hello again! How are you all doing?
Here is ch. 41, the epilogue to the Grimmwater. I hope the arc was interesting enough to reward you for keeping up with it.
Nothing more to actually say, except for this; if you have any sorts of comments on the arc feel free to tell me, I would appreciate it a lot.
See you all next week with the beginning of the next part of the story! Have fun!
A few days later- Nanko General Hospital
The tall man dressed in white had just finished administrating the painkillers under Yang's watchful eye. In the bed next to them, dressed in a hospital gown, was Weiss.
Ruby and Blake were not present; or, to be more accurate, were not present anymore since Doctor Canvass who was monitoring Weiss had kicked them out about half an hour ago.
"Only one visitor per patient, outside visiting hours" he had said earning a scowl from all team RWBY.
Said doctor had finished removing the intravascular feeding system a few minutes earlier. Then, he was reassuring the anxious blonde that her girlfriend was under no mortal danger for the Xth time, when Weiss spoke.
"If may interrupt your banter with Yang, Doctor" she grumpily requested "can you please tell me the results about my eye? I want to browse the web for an eyepatch before I fall asleep to the medication, if possible."
"Don't say that!" Yang reprimanded her. "I am sorry, Doc. She is just under a lot of stress and pain. But after you tell her she will have her eye back, everything-"
"Miss Xiao Long" the grey-haired man cut her off. "Miss Schnee" he curtly bowed to her. "As I intended to tell you, there are good and bad news."
"Tell me the bad ones first" she replied flatly. He nodded and without any hesitation announced. "The major part of the eye is totally destroyed."
"WHAT?" Yang screamed but the ex-heiress hushed her with a glare. "The iris, the pupil and the lens are severely damaged and not salvageable, even with your aura working on them."
"I… kind of expected that." Weiss averted her gaze and Yang rushed at her. She hugged her tightly and let her snuggle. "However" he hastily added "the optical nerves seem to be in perfect health."
"Sorry, Doc. But what's that supposed to mean?" the brawler turned around and looked at the man.
"It means that visibility is not impossible to return, if we manage to provide an artificial replacement for the damaged parts."
Weiss stared at him, raising her head from the tall woman's lap. "You are talking about an artificial eye, aren't you doctor?" The man nodded.
"It's not impossible, theoretically. But I am afraid this clinic has no surgeon with the substantial skill to perform such an operation. And let's not forget about the high costs about it."
There was a brief pause as Yang slowly got next to the doctor, her face dropped down. The man tried to continue "But of course this is far from the worst case scenario-"
"Doctor" Weiss, who had just gotten up and looked towards the grey sky from the window, interrupted him. "Is there anything else you have to tell me?"
"No" he replied "that would be all, Ms. Schnee." She gulped, her throat was slightly dry and her head heavy. "Then I would very much appreciate it if I could be alone for a while."
"Of course, Ms. Schnee. We will be on our way then." Yang shot a glare at him "I am staying here, Doc." The man stared back "need I remind you that you are a patient as well, Ms. Xiao Long?"
"That's hardly the point here." "No; the doctor has a point, Yang. Your rib is not fully healed yet. You need to rest it" Weiss replied for him. "It's what's important right now."
"This is important? That's minor in comparison to your eye!" She growled back. "Miss Xiao Long, do not make me call the head nurse; you know how scary she can be."
"I don't care; Weiss is the one who-" "Yang!" the slightly raised voice made the blonde's protests die in her throat. "Do not make this any harder by stirring up trouble, sweetie. Please."
Lilac stared at her girlfriend, who had still her back turned at her. "We can talk tomorrow morning; if you rest properly and take care of yourself that is."
She gritted her teeth and held her response back. Weiss was right; she was acting stupid now. "I will be back first thing in the morning" she announced before leaving the room. "Good night, Snowpuff."
The door shut down behind her and Weiss finally turned around, allowing the silver line running down her cheek to finally become visible.
She walked to the mirror and took a good stare at herself. Her hair had started growing long again; they now reached a little below her shoulder.
She took a few bangs and used them to cover her bandaged left eye. She wasn't looking bad, if she said so herself. No, her looks were barely the issue.
The true problem was- Weiss removed the hair and looked at the white stripes covering the gauze below. What lies beneath the cover?
Beneath is an incompetent huntress who lost an eye and tries to conceal it as if wearing make-up for her father to not notice a kiss mark on her neck after a prom night.
Of course she knew that replacing it was no issue. She picked her scroll up and searched for Penny's number.
Mr. Polendina wouldn't mind the cost- she would compensate him of course, that was out of question- and the procedure had been done on Ms. Calavera about thirty years ago.
The procedure was no issue, yes. But am I allowed to do that? Weiss looked at her image once more. The eye patch would be light blue, of course. Maybe with some white highlights.
It would serve as a mark of honor. It would be a testament to the other huntsmen about how valiantly she had fought back there. Not to me she thought.
This will be the proof. The proof that Weiss Schnee couldn't, even after so many years, stop clinging to her sister's legs. The proof that she nearly doomed an entire mission of utmost importance because of it.
She looked again at the door and lowered her scroll. "I am sorry Yang" she whispered. "But I am not sure I have the right to fix this."
She stared again at the mirror, the image of a tender blonde woman hugging her from behind overlapping with hers for a moment before she went back to her bed.
"Goodnight, selfless idiot."
-o—
"That's not good- but it's expected, as Weiss said" Blake told Yang. "Yeah!" Ruby added. "I will call Mr. Polendina tomorrow and ask him if he can see her! It will be a piece of cake!"
"If only I could share your enthusiasm and optimism, Rubes" the blonde replied. "Why not?" Her sister asked.
Yang wanted to reply. She wanted to tell them that she hated that look Weiss had after Doc announced the news. It hit the brawler too close to home.
She rubbed her metal elbow, where the joints were. She sounded exactly like I did back then, that's why I can't be optimistic.
"Yang" Ruby said. "I know what you are thinking, but Weiss is a tough nut to crack. Besides, we are all here with her now. All will be fine; trust me."
They were walking down the hospital corridor, towards the blonde's room, basking in the warmth the building's heating system provided.
No use to add even more pressure to them now. I will talk to her tomorrow. "You are right Rubes; sorry. I just can't stop worrying about her" both her sister and partner nodded in acceptance.
"Anyway, let's change topic. What did they say about Vomit Boy?" Her sister's expression turned thoughtful and she took a deep breath before answering her.
"Physically, Jaune is well. Save for the fact he has to go through some rehabilitation stuff, he is fine. They say he will be back to action in a few months if he wills to."
"Isn't that a great thing? Because you appear to be thinking something, Rubes. You should normally be delirious with joy." The red girl let out a weak laugh and replied.
"I am happy, don't misunderstand. I am happier than I have ever been the last year." Yang exchanged a side glance with Blake who nodded in approval.
"But?" she finally asked. "But" Ruby answered "The doctors told me something really confusing. They asked me if Jaune had even done a tattoo before."
Seeing both girls look at her in wonder, Ruby continued. "There is a series of black, thin lines in his back. Around them, his skin is charred, despite Jaune feeling no pain there. They are shaped like a pair of skeletal, clawed hands."
"Ok, that's unsettling." Yang felt a shiver running down her body and she was sure it wasn't due to the lack of heat. "Since you mentioned it, Ruby" Blake took the opportunity to speak.
"There is something I wanted us to discuss. Ideally, I would have liked Weiss to be here too, but she should focus on resting. We can fill her in later."
"Does it have to do with what Jaune told us about the last dream he had?" their leader implored. Yang looked at the faunus, who silently approved.
"This dream happened to appear immediately before he woke up from his coma; considering what they discussed and agreed on with this thing, I refuse to accept it as a coincidence."
"Well, dreams work in mysterious ways" Yang said, earning a harsh stare from her partner. "I don't believe it was a dream, Yang, that's my point."
Both sisters' shoulders dropped. Of course all four of them had been considering what Blake was implying.
They had been thinking about it ever since the boy had told them about the powerful entity that set him free from the nightmares Emerald had cursed him with.
"A mysterious thing that takes after the image of someone you hold dear" Ruby reminisced. "Mimicking mannerisms to near perfection."
"Powerful enough to break an immensely illusion that even the finest doctors, specialists and huntsmen failed to deal with" her sister added.
"And intelligent enough to bargain a deal with you, while not informing you of what actually happens. Thus, it makes sure you get the short end of the deal" the yellow-eyed beauty concluded.
"I think we all know something that qualifies for all these things, don't we?" Ruby sighed. "You think Avyssos did something to Jaune? Because that's exactly what I am afraid of."
Yang gently patted her sister's shoulders. "Maybe we are just overthinking it. I mean no offense, Blakey, but you tend to overthink things sometimes."
"I know I do" the cat-girl replied. "But this is not the issue here. The issue is what we are going to do about it. Jaune's situation might be too complicated for us to handle on our own."
"That's right, but on the other hand we can't start acting like this; we barely know anything" Yang retorted. "Vomit Boy's condition has improved after all."
"That's the issue; he got over his coma like it was a common cold, the moment he came in contact with it. I am especially concerned about this 'favor' Jaune now owes to Avyssos."
"Okok!" Ruby interjected. "This conversation leads us nowhere. And the worst part is; you are both right. This is exactly why we have to be careful. Yang, Blake."
They both looked at their leader and then lowered their head in shame. "You are right, Rubes. Sorry for getting all worked up like this." The faunus rubbed her scar "sorry for spoiling the victorious mood like this, too." Even though...did we actually win? she thought.
"Ah, that's fine" Yang passed her arm around the black-haired girl's shoulders. "Blakey is not Blakey unless she is a killjoy pessimist!"
An eye roll from said girl was the only thing Yang got from her. "So, what do we do after all?" she then asked again. "Wait and see?"
"Yes. Wait and stay vigilant" Ruby replied. "We will talk to Jaune about all these and let him decide. If he wants to avoid talking to Goodwitch about it, I will support him- as well as keeping an eye on him."
"That's really mature." Yang praised Ruby who reacted with a merry giggle. "And what if Jaune decides to come out with the truth?"
"In that case, Blake, I will support him too. And I will beat the crap out of anybody who might try and turn him into a lab rat" she flatly announced.
They dropped Ruby at Jaune's room, wished goodnight to the couple, and continued towards Yang's. They reached the blonde's door stood in front of it.
"You know, it is weird" she commented. "We won but somehow I don't feel like celebrating all these. We should be all happy and festive instead of that."
"That's only because we didn't actually win" Blake announced. "We did earn some small victories, sure, but this is not a favorable conclusion for us."
"We all survived, Blakey. And Vomit Boy is back with us. This could have been a lot worse. And you were there; you know what I mean when I say that."
"I do, yes. However, Alizar is dead at best. Cherry escaped to Dust knows where, the Eldergrimm is still trapped inside the place without us having a concrete idea of how to permanently seal it forever."
She furrowed her brows "In addition, there is another like this, the one we fought in Yugure, out there." "Ah, yes. Alizar called it Nyctos, I think?"
"Nyctos is out there. As well as a cult that wishes to revive all of its siblings for some twisted reason. I only hope the books we got from Red's library and team LEAD's findings will help us get something."
"Blakey" Yang smiled at her. "You are right. We have to deal with all of these. But one step at a time is the proper way, don't you think? Let's begin by resting and enjoying whatever victories we won here."
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes in defeat. "You are right; I am rushing things again. Sorry, Yang."
"If you are truly sorry, go get some sleep to clear your head. Tonight is going to be a quiet one. I haven't slept well, being anxious and all about them both, but that doesn't mean you have to follow my example."
A roaring sound accompanied by heavy footsteps echoed in the half-empty corridor. "WHERE IS HE? I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" and then even more angry steps.
Blake and Yang exchanged stares. "Kitty. Am I too tired, or is that-" "Nora, yes. Ruby told them on the phone when we arrived here. I assume they convinced Goodwitch to let them visit."
"YOU THERE- THE DOCTOR! JAUNE ARC; WHAT ROOM IS HE IN?"
"We are never going to get some proper rest, are we?"
"Never."
-o—
Pain. Pain and anger permeated his entire being. His body felt burning, like someone had slipped hot coals under his skin. His breathing was heavy and erratic, his fury only adding to his tense muscles.
Why was he alive? He should have died! That bitch Rose had defeated him with sly tricks. Hero of justice and guardian of the people, my ass. You are nothing more than a cheap lap dog for those in power!
How had he survived the fall? And why was the cavern floor so soft? He opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the brighter than expected daylight.
Alizar Red looked around and got confused. He was not in the cave anymore. Instead, he was lying on a bed, covered in bandages, with a few water bottles around him.
The room he was in was small and cheap-looking; just a wooden rectangle with two doors and one single window that was half-open, allowing the little winter daylight to barge in.
Aside from these, there was only one table, a chair and a neatly-folded bedroll on the other side of the room. A flowery fabric was next to it, tugged inside a plastic bag. Everything was dyed in a pale green light?
He scratched his head and got up, ignoring the throbbing pain pulsing in his entire body. As he sat on the bed, trying to piece himself together, his eyes fell upon something familiar.
The green light was pulsing from a couple bone talismans carefully arranged underneath his bed, with elaborate runes made of black ichor spreading around them.
So that's what happened. Now, he was even more confused than before. Why would she, of all people, help him escape this hell hole?
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and a totally naked Cherry stepped out, holding a wet towel. "Oh, you are awake. Guess you are tougher than I gave you credit for."
Alizar took a few seconds to reply, taking in his current partner- and savior. The girl in front of him always had something alluring and terrifying about her, both in spades.
And at this moment, looking at the muscled, naked body of the faunus, with the cherry-colored, wet tresses of her hair falling down her shoulders and sending droplets all over her curved body, he realized why.
Because the gorgeous body of hers had something terrifying about it as well. Starting right between her breasts and spreading down covering her entire belly, was a large religious tattoo.
In its core it was simple; nothing more than an array of thin black lines, forming a hideous Leviathan head. The skin around the lines was charred red, as if someone had marked it with burning iron.
"Like what you see?" she nonchalantly asked as she grabbed a few clothes out of her bag. "A lot. Except for the tattoo."
She clicked her tongue. "I am not talking about my body, you fool. I was asking about my holy mark; never call it a tattoo again." She fished out a pair of underwear and put them on.
"Well, you can't be standing in front of a man naked with such a body and ask me to ignore it." Seeing her narrow her eyes, he decided to change the subject "what is it for, anyway? A religious custom?"
"It is a symbol for those select few touched by the Elders" Cherry put on a trimmed, blue pair of jeans and a brown t-shirt. "It is the utmost honor for those of my religion. Not that I expect you to fully understand that."
"I see" he had only asked to divert the conversation away from her naked form; Alizar actually had zero interest in the mad woman's dead religious zealotry. But there was something he was really curious about.
"I guess we are at Nanko, right?" "Exactly. We are currently in a cheap motel at the port; our enemies now know our faces, so we must lay low for a while." He narrowed his eyes before asking again.
"Why did you save me back then? It was you, wasn't it?" She didn't turn around. "Yes it was me." "Then, why did you do it? I thought you couldn't care less if I lived or died."
"As a matter of fact, I do. You and I both failed, in case you didn't realize it." He stared at her back and Cherry turned around, having just put on a khaki jacket on top.
"You do realize what that means don't you?" she asked back. "Yes" he hissed, feeling his anger rising again. "It means we have to take responsibility for our failure."
"I am glad you understand" the faunus put on a pair of brown boots. "Still, you could have left me die. You could have used me as a scapegoat and blame me for everything as well."
"This is not how I operate, idiot" she glared at him. "Besides, why wasting a powerful ally like you?" Alizar looked at her in surprise. "That might be the first time you have directly complimented me; it's kind of scary."
The glare persisted. "I am no fool, you moron. I respect death as much as I respect life. I would never let an ally die if they can still be useful, or they have unfinished business. Unless they insult my pride, that is."
Ok, that was better than he expected. He closed his eyes and spoke calmly. "Thank you, Cherry. I never thought I would say this, but I owe you one, you crazy psycho."
"Well, you are welcome for what matters. But I half expect both of us being heavily chewed out by the others. Do you want a piece of advice? Stop thinking about Ruby and start thinking about how we will make up for our blunder."
She then walked to the door. "I am going to get us some food, ok?" "Anything is fine- I am famished" the man replied and she walked out.
Alizar exhaled deeply. His entire body was still in pain, but he had gotten used to that already. This pain was irrelevant. This body too, had value only in carrying him as far as he needed to go.
The only thing that mattered was that Cherry had given him a second chance. Another shot at taking down Ruby Rose. And this time, he would kill her on spot.
A wicked smile rose on his face. They might have lost the battle, but they were far from losers in the long run. He cackled evilly; that truly must be the hand of fate at work!
"Just you wait, Little Red. Our battle is far from over."