Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing fine!
On my part, I am exhausted. Just finished my IELTS exams and I now am waiting for the results.
Despite that, I managed to finish ch. 61 in time. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks one more time for following/ favoring/ simply reading the story. I will see you next week!
"There are jags and glyphs all over this monolith as well" Blake stood up from examining the tall stone in the middle of the dimly-lit cavern. "The pattern is the same as the previous ones" she told her friends.
"Including the one we found in the forest that makes six of them" Ilia said, gulping. "Think there is a meaning to their number?" Yang asked the chameleon girl. "No, just force of habit; don't mind it" she replied.
Alex and Albus were a few meters behind them, keeping guard. "This place is as creepy as one can get" the boy told his girlfriend.
"Yeah; but we have been through worse. Remember Salem's castle?" she tried to comfort him. "This is nothing more that the eerie lair of an ancient Grimm." He turned at her, eyes deeply narrowed.
"You really suck at comforting people, honey" he remarked. The girl replied by sticking her tongue out in a playful manner "it works for you, doesn't it?"
"Well, it does break the tension, that's for sure" he tenderly smiled at her, just as the three girls walked closer. "Same as usual" Blake told them. "Nothing solid to get information from."
"That's unfortunate" Alex replied, before turning her face to the small village. "We are only a few hundred meters away from the place; I think we just make a straight line for it at this point."
"Well, I can't object to that" the cat-girl told her. "Be extra careful; we don't know whether this place has any residents, human or not" she added, drawing her sword, the magma-colored blade shining in the miasmatic light.
Everyone drew their weapons and nodded, before silently moving after her. It didn't take them long to reach the village and take a better look at the first houses.
They were truly small, without any additional floors than the ground one. They were made of dark stone and had flat roofs without tiles. The doors and small windows were wooden and totally shut.
"Blakey" Yang addressed her friend. "It's your call, partner; what should we do?" The yellow-eyed girl looked at the temple, towering over the village, dying the houses and them in the abhorrent sickly green light.
"Let's check a couple houses before we reach the tomb" she replied. Everyone but Yang turned and looked at her. "What tomb are you talking about?" Ilia asked.
"I think it's obvious at this point and safe to assume this temple-like building is an Eldergrimm Tomb" she replied, making them open their eyes in horror.
"The weird runic pattern is all over the place, the green flames feel too familiar and this entire village is filled with small houses that seem to be built for the mere purpose of offering a temporary establishment."
"You mean like- no, that can't be- a pilgrimage area?" Albus stared at her disbelief. "You are telling me Blake that people used to come from all over the continent to this place in order to pray of all things?"
"It's just a hypothesis, ok?" she replied. "But I think spending a few minutes to check the houses for anything to prove or deny that could be useful to us."
"I can't disagree with that, at least" he nodded in approval. "Ok, what are waiting for-" Yang made a flexing motion with her arm, but the black-haired beauty glared at her.
"No, Yang. We are not bursting in like that. If you would mind to-" the heavy screech of a door opening made all of them turn around and get their weapons ready to intercept any possible attack.
There was no attack, however. Only Alex, standing in front of the nearest house's door, having just opened it; probably with the help of the small wire she had in her hand.
"What?" she shook her shoulders "You spent too much time talking that I got bored! Besides there was no way we wouldn't do this to begin with!"
Letting out a small laugh at the albino woman's simplicity, Yang winked at her. Alex returned the favor the exact moment Blake stepped inside the house.
"Alex and Ilia, would you please guard the perimeter?" she asked them, earning a quick nod of approval. Yang and Albus had already stepped in after her, the boy's flashlight dimly illuminating the interior.
"Hmm…" still having superior vision, Blake took in her surroundings. It was a single-room house, with a simple-looking bed in an advanced state of decay, a small bathroom and some rotten pieces of furniture.
The only preserved part was a small stone table at the corner of the room. There seemed to be a series of weird-looking items on top of it. Yang stepped closer, to take a better look. She narrowed her eyes.
"Did you find anything?" Albus was heard from behind her. "Well" she said "a rusty old dagger, some rotten books, a broken mirror, a series of rusted utensils and this" Yang turned at them, holding a small statue.
It depicted the same Grimm as the statue they had met in the tunnel- a humanoid-looking beast with the head of a monstrous lizard. It clearly was the work of a very talented sculptor who had paid great attention to detail, giving an eerie, almost living touch in the small figurine.
Albus examined it and returned it back to the blonde woman. "This is shaping to be quite like Ruby's horror games" he exclaimed. "I hope I don't play the 'bimbo who dies first' trope" she replied, half-joking.
Meanwhile, Blake had finished a quick investigation of the house. There was nothing else; no hidden room, no storage room, no guest room, nothing. And what drew her attention more was…
"This is Spaceship Yang XL speaking! Remnant Station Belladonna, can you hear me?" her partner's theatrical voice cut off her trail of thought and made her turn with a loud groan.
"Yang, we have discussed this particular phrasing! It wasn't funny the first time, it wasn't the next one hundred times and it surely as Dust isn't now!" she complained.
"To be fair, we did call you a couple times before she had to use this… whatever it is supposed to be" the black-and-white haired man next to her explained.
"There is no excuse for this atrocity" she rolled her eyes, before she took the small idol, examined it and returned it to Yang who put it in her backpack.
"I am sure Dr. Oobleck and Weiss' colleagues at the lab will be drooling to test it" the girl merely said. "I wanted to take the books too, but they are beyond any repair."
Deciding to let the last notion she had about this place go until she had the chance to check other houses as well, the yellow-eyed girl nodded. "Let's go check a couple more; there is something I need to confirm."
The three of them walked outside and closed the door behind them, before regrouping with the others and moving to another one of the small rock establishments.
-o—
Silent and as careful as possible, Gray and his men carefully walked the tunnel towards the cave. "I don't get it Boss; aren't we supposed to be in a hurry?" one of his henchmen said.
"Being careful to avoid any unpleasant surprises is quicker than blindly rushing forward to the unknown, you idiot" he spat. The rest of the men grumbled, visibly eager to hunt and slaughter their enemies.
"Didn't you hear him? Less talking, more stalking!" Sen roared from ahead. Fenris grinned. This team consisted of fools and half-paranoid killers, but at least Sen knew how to command them, he would admit.
Walking next to him was Ed. He was holding his kukri, smiling like an idiot. From his belt hung a large piece of finely tuned and processed metal- Yang Xiao Long's mechanical arm.
"Is there any reason you decided to take this with you?" he asked the lunatic. "You told me I could, Boss; it's a rare treat to find a limb I can't exactly chew off" he licked his lips.
The wolf-man didn't reply. He actually didn't mind. As long as he was the one to select who their owners would be, Ed was free to chew off any pieces of meat his sadistic heart desired.
"We are almost at Harrow Village, Boss" Baz's voice sounded from ahead of them "I can see the green flames you lit a week ago!"
"Everyone; stop here" he commanded, pleased to say not even one dared disobey his orders. "Sen, take three men with you and scout the area. Inform us of anything unusual you see."
"Yes Boss. You three" she pointed at some of her henchmen "follow me. And stay silent" she emphasized, before leading them out of the tunnel and into the large cave.
About an hour later, the small team returned. "Boss, I have some bad news for you" the hyena-woman growled. He didn't reply, instead cracked his fingers in a predatory manner.
Realizing it was him telling her to spill the beans Sen continued "there are no signs of Carmel or any of her men, around the place. The only smell I could detect of her perfume came out of the Mausoleum."
"That is not a bad thing; if anything, it will make capturing her faster" he remarked with a flat, emotionless voice. "I take it something else has happened as well then?"
She hissed in anger before answering "Xiao Long and the two filthy traitors are alive; they are with two other huntsmen and searching the village as we speak."
A series of loud hisses and angry curses spread around him. They escaped the Morkvind? It looks like team RWBY lives up to its reputation a lot more that it should, after all.
He stood up, making all the growls and hisses stop merely by standing. "You four go back and guard the entrance; make sure to inform us if anything goes wrong on your part."
"You three" he turned and pointed at the faunus who accompanied him at the jeep "are coming with me to the Mausoleum now."
They quickly jumped up and got ready to leave, as Gray turned to Sen. "You and your siblings take the rest of the team and go after the filthy traitors and their human friends. I take it I can trust you with that?"
Everyone grinned in excitement and satisfaction, before Sen replied licking her lips "yes, Boss."
-o—
After visiting a few houses, the five huntsmen had stopped their search and walked towards the temple, along the main road. Alex's slow and steady humming accompanied them, before Blake started talking.
"Our findings so far indicate this was truly a temporary establishment. That is quite easy to deduce from the lack of personal touch in all houses we searched and them having the bare minimum facilities necessary for one to live."
"In addition" Albus continued "every single house had a religious statue of some sorts, depicting that lizard-headed Grimm. It looks your theory of religious pilgrimage is gaining ground."
"That is true" she replied, after taking a few glances around. "There is one more theory I would like to propose as well" the cat-girl added, raising her voice to be sound above the humming.
"You are talking about the lack of light systems in all houses we have so far checked, don't you?" Yang asked her. Blake smiled and nodded in quick approval of the girl's observation skills.
"I am impressed you noticed, Yang" she replied. "Well, the houses seem primitive to me, but first I dismissed them as being too old" the brawler shrug her shoulders. "Then I saw they didn't have anything."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" visibly confused, Ilia asked. "It means they lack any source of light- there is no fireplace, no signs of a torch holder or chandelier, not even lamp remains" Blake explained.
"Oh I see…" Ilia's eyes lit in recognition. "And what does that mean?" she asked Yang, who shrugged her shoulders again. "I only noticed it; don't ask me- the brains of the team is that way" she joked.
"Faunus" Albus rolled his eyes, almost as quickly as Blake. Alex's humming stopped for a second, before resuming it as they stopped in the central plaza to let her take in as much of the area as possible.
"This place is dark 24/7. The only reason to not have light appliances is to not need them at all. And as far as I know, the only people in the world who can see in low light like this with no problem are faunus."
"You mean…" gray eyes opened in disbelief "that this place was built and used by our people?" The black-haired huntress nodded "you were unconscious when Gray said it, but Yang should remember."
"You and every other faunus who walked away from the Old Ways to become more civilized, are not the same species as us" the blonde girl quoted. "He also called humans an elaborate offering to the Gods."
An ancient cult of faunus worshipping the Grimm… it wasn't the first time these days Blake was reminded of Cherry. But, no matter how much she thought, she couldn't put the powerful fox-girl next to the sly wolf. They were so mismatched; she could only think they were forced-
"Hey guys" Alex's humming stopped. "Some people are up to us, skulking in the shadows and crawling towards this place. They seem to be armed, if my semblance is right."
Everyone tensed. "Don't grab your weapons just yet" Blake whispered "and act as casually as possible." Yang cracked her fingers "that goes without saying, but-" "AAAAAAAHHHH!"
The sound came from inside the temple and echoed across the entire village. It was the scream of a woman, but its tone indicated no horror or pain. Rather, it was- "someone's really angry it seems" Yang said.
-o—
It was a piece of cake, locating the five unsuspecting fools casually talking in the middle of the street. Sen's team may be unorthodox and not good in taking orders, but they excelled in hunting down prey.
They carefully walked through the abandoned alleys and narrow roads, crawling and skulking as the sickly green light reflected on their outfits.
They didn't mind, of course. If anything, the shades cast by the flames helped their camouflage and the eerie feeling enhanced their primeval instincts. This hunt would definitely be a glorious one.
The female faunus saw Baz slowly enter an open window. Her brother always amazed her with how he could walk around so silently with his gun strapped on his back.
On the other hand, the house was perfect. The door was slightly open, so when the battle commenced it would take him a couple seconds to kick it open and shower those fools in high-caliber bullets.
Ed was on the opposite side, his group having made a small circle to attack from behind after their enemies would focus their defense on her side.
The faunus accompanying them were also pretty skilled in skirmishes and trench warfare, despite not being so good in open combat. She grinned, as she smelled- wait, their tension just rose!
"AAAAAAAH!" a voice from inside the temple, full of anger and hatred made the hyena woman curse. It must be that bitch Carmel, shit! She quickly raised her arm, keeping her anxious underlings in check.
This could prove an even better distraction! If they focus on the temple, they will be even more defenseless than before! She sniffed the air and stared back at them- and saw Belladonna and Amitola run away.
"GET THEM!" she screamed, as in a single moment the black-haired woman saw her perfectly-planned hunt go to hell.
-o—
A few seconds earlier
"Who did that scream belong to?" Ilia asked, still not giving away the fact they were aware of Sen's team. "It wasn't Weiss or Ruby; that much I can tell" Yang quickly replied.
"Our enemies aren't moving at all; they are waiting to ambush us as soon as we let our guard down" Alex added. "By the way, one of them has your arm, Yang. Unless he carries a normal severed hand with him."
"Is that so?" she narrowed her eyes. "Can I leave them to you?" Blake whispered. I am taking Ilia and going to the temple- before it is too late." Three nods were her answer, but she didn't even wait for them.
The two faunus suddenly turned around and started running up the street, towards the great temple. She knew there was no need for worry here- her friends could easily deal with their enemies.
No, what worried her most as gunfire erupted from behind them and she ran up the stairs with Ilia next to her, was them being too late to stop whatever Carmel or Fenris were doing inside the ancient tomb.
Down in the middle of the road, Yang rushed to the back of their formation, after the one guy Alex assumed had been holding her arm.
"I am leaving the others to you guys!" she propelled her body forward with a blast from Ember Celica and landed in a small side road.
Six armed faunus stared at her with sadistic grins all over their faces. They opened wide, trying to surround her, revealing another one of their kind- one who was familiar to Yang.
He was laughing at her in a wicked manner, holding a pair of kukri in his arms. He had a protruding jaw and long tongue, with dark spots all over his skin.
Yang's eyes narrowed. Her arm was hanging from his belt, like a trophy. His gaze followed hers, as he knelt and licked it, dripping saliva all over the metal joints.
"Are you for real?" Yang made a disgusted face. "I am getting second thoughts about getting it back, now." He grinned widely and stood up, before shouting at his men "kill her; and take your time."
She assumed a boxing stance, as the six men raised their weapons at her. She sighed and controlled her breathing. "Ok, bring it on. I have quite the frustration to take out on you, at least."
Out in the open street, Alex had just finished providing cover fire for Ilia and Blake. Their enemies were inside the narrow alleys, behind the small house-
As soon as the door opened, it took her and Albus less than a couple seconds to jump away. She was really grateful for that, as the large hyena faunus standing at the door emptied his Gatling gun at them.
Bullets flew, literally annihilating every single object they came across. The bat girl and her partner rolled to their right, hiding behind another house, leaving a trail of smoking holes behind them.
"Ok, I didn't expect that" she said as the sound of footsteps coming closer filled the street. "We have to deal with the Gatling- unless we do so eye contact with them is impossible!" Albus agreed.
She nodded and bit her lip in a comical manner. "Hey, love; I think I can get behind them; will you find a way to keep the Gatling away from me?" she asked her boyfriend.
Black eyes filled with determination as he replied "as if my life depends on it" he assured her. "On my way then" she gave him a quick peck on the lips and ran towards the back of the road, trying to be as stealthy as possible.
Albus charged his staff. Whispering to five, allowing them to come even closer, he gripped it and then rushed out in the open, instantly blasting in front of him with a swing filled in air dust.