Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all fine.
Chapter 90 is out. As always, I hope you enjoy it!
We are 10 chapters short of 100 and counting! I am really grateful to all of you for following/ favoring/ simply reading the story- you are the best!
See you all next week in Chapter 91. Until then, be well and have fun!
The horrifying sound of claws and teeth scratching stone reached Ruby and Weiss' ears. The two huntresses held their breath, their bodies on full alert as they stood a couple meters away from the unholy chapel.
The moment the horrid corpses had stood up, Ruby had pushed her body to burst out, taking her partner along. As soon as they had left the accursed room, the pale girl had sealed the entrance with an earth slab.
And now they were trying to calm down their strained nerves and find a reasonable explanation for those walking corpses; a tough thing to do, when said corpses' slams and moans could be heard so close to them.
"They…seem unable to break the wall" Weiss noted, eyes practically glued on the slab. "I don't want to stay and confirm it, please" Ruby replied in a worried tone.
They started move back towards the lower floors, the sound of their footsteps being muffled by the loud, creepy noises of the walking dead.
"There has to be an explanation for this" they reached the crossroads undisturbed. "Well, some really creepy stories spoke of magicians who could raise zombies and-"
Ruby's slightly worried tone made Weiss raise an eyebrow "Ruby? Are you afraid?" she asked. The silver orbs turned away from the cyan gaze "just a little; zombies are not- I thought they were not real" she replied.
A thin smile appeared in the ex-heiress' lips. Here they were, fighting eldritch abominations from the deepest pits of the earth, and Ruby was afraid of-
A loud moan echoed from the path leading down. It resounded in the walls, resonating inside the large, empty facility. Before they could calm down a putrid, festering stench rose from the deep and assaulted them.
"What was-" the sound of footsteps, rumbling chains and wild, guttural cries came after that. They formed a hellish chorus of darkness that was slowly, yet steadily coming closer to them.
"Middle path" the reaper announced and her partner had no reason to protest, making sure to run as fast as she could to keep up with her.
They trekked the middle path and passed through a broken metal door without even stopping to look back. As soon as they did, they sealed it with some ice dust and turned around to inspect their surroundings.
Deep darkness assaulted them, their lights too weak to provide more than a couple meters worth of illumination. There was no visible ceiling and the walls couldn't be seen from where they stood.
A single human skull appeared in Ruby's line of sight when she took one step forward. She stiffened but quickly regained her usual composure and knelt forward to examine it while Weiss stood guard.
"It would appear we are inside a considerably large room" she said, her attention split between looking out for enemies and trying to listen if the horrifying parade of unearthly screams was growing louder or not.
"That skull is intact and well-cleaned" Ruby informed her. "Why would someone preserve a skull and then leave it on the floor?" the answer came at once. "Beats me" the brunette stood up and took another step.
Her light fell on the wall after a couple seconds of her moving forward, illuminating the grey stone-metal texture as well as a series of long iron bars "a prison cell?" she asked out loudly making Weiss walk up to her.
The alabaster girl passed by Ruby and got closer to the bars. They were dirty and dusty, smelling of mold and dried blood. "Be careful Weiss" a worried voice sounded from behind her, making her crack a smile.
"Its fine" she said, more to herself than to Ruby, as she raised her lamp trying to take a small peek inside- "OOOO" followed by a hungry moan, a dead face slammed on the bars, dripping saliva and blood on her.
"AAAH!" both girls screamed; one in horror and one in shock and pure disgust. Weiss jumped away from the attacker, her light now showing the outline of the walking corpse that lurked behind the bars.
Its half-eaten face disgusted and terrified Ruby, and made her avert her gaze but not without noticing something first "he-" she spat out the bile that formed in her mouth "he wears a Vale huntsman uniform I think."
Weiss took a couple deep breaths to calm down "indeed he does" her reply came, among the moans and scratches of the moving corpse who was now trying to attack by pushing its arm between the bars.
"This makes no sense" Ruby took a couple more steps to the back-
"OOOOO" "AAAAH!" and got scratched on the leg from another one who did the exact same thing as before and attacked her from inside its prison.
Her aura protected her from any serious wounds, but the sheer terror forced to drop her flashlight and move away, cursing and swearing in a very unladylike manner, even for Ruby's standards.
The flashlight slowly rolled and stopped in the middle of the room. Its small light beam fell upon another set of bars- and another horrible half eaten, blood-filled monster hungrily staring at them from inside it.
"Oh Dust…" Ruby's eyes locked on the empty, void holes. They were so much different than a Grimm's, yet the same mindless, primal hunger dwelled inside them. This thing is… not even a human corpse anymore.
All of a sudden, another moan sounded from the dark side of the room. And then another. And another. And many more. "No way" a terrifying thought crossed Ruby's mind as she exchanged stares with Weiss.
"Light the place, please" she commanded, gripping Thorn with all her might. "Are you sure?" the pale woman asked. More light would make it much easier for their enemies to notice them. "Yes" she firmly stated.
Weiss took a couple steps forward and focused, making the dust from her sword glitter- Ruby burst and tackled her, rolling on the floor away.
A split second later, a bolt of dark energy slammed the ground on the spot the platinum-haired huntress had been standing in. A hissing and sizzling miasma rose from the spot, eating the stone away.
"There is something here! And it's not a zombie!" Weiss somersaulted backwards and got her swords ready to strike at the unseen enemy. In front of her, eyes full of tension, Ruby stood with Thorn in her hands.
The moans filled the room, echoing on the walls and ceiling, forming a blasphemous parody of a cheering crowd; a cheering crowd that had crawled up from hell to drag the performers down to the abyss, that is.
The one behind them slammed the bars, making ruby yelp and jump away. A slithering sound was heard from above them and Weiss had to create a hard-light shield to block another ray aimed at the reaper.
"Don't let them distract you!" Weiss screamed to be heard above the undead "the real danger is up there!" Ruby nodded and swapped her sword for Crescent Rose, its handle's familiar feeling easing her tension.
And then, a loud mechanical 'beep' filled the room, easy for them to discern even among the hungry noises of the walking dead. Weiss felt the blood drain from her face as they heard the cage doors open.
The moans got closer. Heavy, stumbling footsteps now accompanied the sounds of the hungry dead. A face appeared in front of the dropped flashlight- a young man with rotten skin, empty eyes and drooling lips.
Ruby stared at his in teary eyes. He was wearing the huntsmen uniform. The same uniform she and so many of her friends had used during their operations to reclaim Vale and even after that.
The gun shook in her hands as she raised it and shot his head, making it explode with a disgusting sound. There was no aura to protect him and his blood splashed around, painting red both the floor and her clothes.
His body- kept moving. "How" she stared at her partner, who conjured a wave of frozen shards and threw it to the snarling mass of corpses that walked towards them from the darkness. Ruby gritted her teeth.
With a swift motion, she unclasped Crescent Rose and ran towards the headless undead. "I am so sorry; I really wish I didn't have to do this" a quick slice from her oversized blade tore the human remains to shreds.
There was no time to mourn, however. Two more corpses, also dressed in Vale Huntsmen's clothes, jumped at her trying to feast on her flesh. Their jaws were open and their hollow eyes filled in bottomless hunger.
Unfortunately for them, they were still weaker than the average Grimm and easy prey to Ruby Rose who had been slaughtering Beowolf packs since the age of 14.
Crescent Rose's blade dug in the floor and she jumped, using her scythe as a makeshift pole to somersault behind them. As she landed, she saw a couple more lashing at her from the shadows with their bloody claws.
"I wish you all rest in peace" Ruby spun twice. The first slice came from a high angle and decapitated all four enemies. The second one was a lot lower and sliced their legs, spreading rotten blood in her teary face.
She turned around to stare at Weiss, the exact moment her partner's glyphs spread out fire, charring the mass of sliced corpses she had amassed beneath her feet and lighting the entire room for them to see.
And what they saw was a large, circular prison with more than a dozen cells. Their bars were slightly rusty and filled in traces of caked blood and grime.
Bloody footprints spread all over the spacious path that connected the entrance with the metal door on the other side of the room, passing between the cells' rows.
They both stared on the tall ceiling and the white walls, currently tinted red by the throbbing flames of Weiss' semblance. "I see nothing but the corpses; where is the thing that was shooting at us?" she pondered.
"Be careful" the brunette replied. "We can't know who-" a faint sound interrupted her for the umpteenth time today. "Do you hear that?" she asked her partner.
"Yes I do" the reply came. It was a low-tone, yet continuous sound that seemed all too familiar… "Is someone crying?" she asked back. The red girl nodded at her in agreement and pointed to the back.
Towards the only cell whose bars hadn't been opened, despite them being unlocked. The door was just a little ajar, with no name on but a number written on a small card hung on it.
Test subject 039. 15/03/86- Female
-o—
This is wrong.
Blake shook her head and walked down another stair.
This place is not for mortals to delve into.
She corrected her breathing and pointed to Yang to turn off her lamp in order to improve her camouflage. The stairs were making a turn to the left after a couple meters.
Light came out from the direction the path took so she wanted to be as stealthy as possible. In addition, being hidden in darkness improved her eyesight even more.
You can only imagine what unnamable horror lurks deeper. You know it; don't pretend you don't. The carvings, a talisman on the entrance and a series of well-placed Grimm statues… this is a Temple, Belladonna!
She walked down a couple more stairs, pushing her screaming instinct away. She knew it was right. After Yang destroyed the Displacer and the pair moved to the staircase, her brain filled in horrifying images.
You are walking to your death! SCREW YOUR HONOR AND TAKE YANG OUT OF HERE!
"Damn it!" she pressed her back to the wall and held her forehead in an attempt to calm down. Her cat ears perked up and her chest moved in a slow manner, taking deep, calculated breaths.
Yang reached out "watch out for enemies instead of comforting me!" the reply came out louder- and meaner- than the faunus expected to, but the blonde got the message and moved past her.
"If you feel bad about being here, you must tell me." "I feel bad about having to be coddled all the time; just give me a couple minutes and I will be fine" she took out one small vial and quickly sniffed it.
Her muscles slowly relaxed, yet the voices were there. They were just a little kinder, gentler. One of the negatives of having such a strong sense of self-preservation, one might say.
Yang stared once more at her partner, hoping that Ren's custom-made aroma vials would help ease her stress even under such circumstances.
"Despite knowing you for so long, seeing how tough your nerves are is something that will never stop impressing me" Blake told her, without returning her gaze "I admire that about you- and feel a little jealous."
The blonde didn't reply before checking out for incoming enemies. "The path makes a U-turn here, so I can't see anything but the light coming from below" she replied and then stared at Blake's averted gaze.
"I got lucky" she then exclaimed, making Blake turn and meet her lilac orbs. "Every time we fought during the war, every single time, my own enemies were nothing more than powerful monsters and individuals."
"How's that lucky?" Blake asked her. "I didn't lose my sister, see my boyfriend fall into coma or have to fight my fiancé to near death; I wasn't even there when uncle Crow was killed. Even when I lost mom it was the outcome of a fair fight, not a mental torture like you did."
She closed her eyes for a second; aware she had Blake's full attention at the moment "I am afraid, yes. I can fight it, yes. But, if you ask me, what you three are doing is more impressive than my fearlessness, Blakey."
They exchanged a swift smile of mutual understanding and then Blake gestured at Yang to move. They carefully made the U-turn and then stopped to look at the path ahead, hidden at the second corner's wall.
Seeing that a decent amount of light was passing through, Yang decided to peek while Blake guarded the dark passage behind. She slowly tilted her head, trying to obtain as much information as possible.
The path ended into a spacious room, heavily lit by a series of red-hot flames on top of four large columns. The ceiling was tall and the walls seemed thick, made of large, dark stone bricks and decorated with the same small-sized scarecrow statues; Yang counted about a dozen.
In the middle was Cherry. Her blouse was torn off, exposing her naked back. Her weapon was stowed away in a corner, next to a large pillar. She seemed still unconscious and was chained and tied with manacles.
Around her, three figures were working on something. Two had rifles and wore the distinct uniforms of Vale Huntsmen; probably stolen from the unit that had tried to retrieve the lost students, Yang guessed.
The third one was tall and broad-shouldered, with long black hair and a lab coat. They all had their back turned, so she could easily spot a series of smudges and bloodstains on their backs- quite unusual for pros.
Then, the tall one turned around to pick up something from a large bag he had next to him- and Yang pulled her head behind the wall, turning to look at her partner with a confused, wide-eyed expression.
"I think I may be hallucinating" she whispered, as lowly as she could to let her friend hear. A thin eyebrow rose. "Cherry is inside a large temple room, along with two armed guards and a zombie" Yang elaborated.
Another eyebrow rose and Blake's yellow eyes glared at the brawler. "This is not the time to be joking" she reprimanded her, trying to fight the overwhelming pressure the place was putting on her.
"I am serious; that's why I said I may be hallucinating" she firmly replied to the accusation. Blake noticed the lack of usual mirth in Yang's wide, terrified scare and decided to take a look at what her partner meant.
Long, black sticky hair dripping with mud and grime. Broad, disjointed shoulders that barely held the long lab coat filled in blood. A face full of caked blood with enough missing flesh to reveal the jaws and teeth.
It took her less than a second to pull back and exchange the same look of confusion and terror. Her reason behind it, however, was a little bit different "the tall one… the moving corpse with the lab coat…"she said.
"Yes?" "I saw him drive the car we tailed up here. He was not… he was not like this back then!" she whispered. Her breath started to accelerate; she gulped down some water, careful to not be exposed.
"What are we going to do?" Yang peeked once more; either those three were deaf- which under those circumstances wouldn't surprise her- or they were way too preoccupied with their task- whatever it was.
"They" Blake struggled for a moment to pull her crumbling thoughts together before stress caught up with her again "they couldn't be much tougher than Grimm, could they?" she asked her partner.
Yang scratched her head "hell if I know, kitten. But I am game if you say so" she replied, readying her stance. The cat girl nodded and raised her sword "we can't waste much time. We go in for the kill, ok Yang?"
"Fine by me; on your call, Blakey" "One…" she stared again to be sure what she had seen before wasn't a trick of her mind. "Two…" she took one deep breath and pointed at the two guards for Yang to attack.
"Three" Blake rushed forward, running with all her might towards the man/ zombie in the lab coat. The two guards turned around to at once intercept her, but she blinked away as the men's rifles shot her.
Leaving them wide open to Yang's head-on charge. The blonde rolled on the floor and jumped high, using her left arm's built-in handgun to pepper them with bullets and cover for her partner.
To her surprise, they didn't dodge. Instead, they let the bullets hit them, opening holes in their bodies as if they didn't have aura to shield themselves. Even more surprising, no blood ran out of the wounds.
Those guys… they are zombies too? She landed in front of them and they tried to attack Yang with the butt of their guns, but their reaction was too slow for someone as adept as her.
Yang elbowed both guns away "if you are still alive, sorry about that" she grabbed their helmet-covered heads and smashed them together.
Instead of the usual crunching sound of bones being hit, though, the blonde heard a small cracking one, like glass being shattered. After that both men all of a sudden grew stiff and collapsed on the floor like logs.
She knelt next to them, after trying to shove the rigid bodies with her foot and receiving no reaction. She removed the first guy's helmet- and then dropped it on the floor and turned around to hold back the contents of her stomach.
Meanwhile, Blake had reached the tall man in the lab coat, her hair standing on edge as she could smell the stench from his rotten flesh fill her nostrils. She rose Nightfall and pressed its tip at the man's nape.
There was no reaction. "Please, if you understand me in any possible way, turn around with your hands in the air." He only raised an arm and emptied some green liquid inside a glass bottle he had in front of him.
The faunus narrowed her eyes. "Please, if you still-" "this one can't hear you, Blake Belladonna" a calm, arrogant voice replied to her, shocking the black-haired huntress.
It was not only the fact that she didn't expect a reply, but also that he did so without moving his mouth. She remembered Watts controlling Sun and trembled, barely keeping her sword in place. "Who are you?"
"Are you asking who I am?" he asked back, not stopping his work on the liquid in front of him "or who did this body belong to when it was alive?" the calm way he stated that sent shivers down Blake's spine.
"I ask you who you are- and stop doing whatever you are doing right now!" she pressed the blade a little harder. "Or what? Are you going to kill Fowler again?" the voice asked her.
"And who's supposed to be that; actually, why should we care about who this guy is?" Yang walked close to Blake. The zombie turned its head around, allowing both girls to take a better look at its face.
The dead, empty eyes and visible jawbones were as disgusting as the pieces of rotten flesh that hung from its cheeks and forehead. It once more spoke without moving a single muscle.
"This fellow was called Grease Fowler" he stated. "He once worked as a chief engineer in the power plant by the lake; or at least he pretended to do so" he continued, making both girls look at it in confusion.
"In truth, he was an agent sent by Salem five decades ago to monitor and check the state of the Grand Mother's tomb after the queen of the Grimm learned that Cornfield had broken its ancient promise to her."
"What?" now completely invested into the story the weird voice told, Yang and Blake ignored the atrocious view of the moving corpse's face.
"He was killed right where Ms. Itazura is tied up right now" the stranger added "when his co-workers followed him up here and discovered what the 'new project' he was working on truly was; how ironic" he laughed.
"Why are you telling us all these?" Blake's eyes narrowed, blade still poised at the corpse's throat. "Oh, to reward you for entering a place I never dared to; even now, I still use my servants to do the heavy work."
"So, let me ask something straight" the brawler licked her lips "you are either Azure or you work for him, aren't you?" The corpse didn't reply. Instead, it took one step forward- and let Nightfall pierce its throat.
"What?" The faunus was quick to react and release her blade from the rotten flesh. The corpse stumbled and fell down, not even one drop of blood getting spilled from the huge wound.
"It was nice seeing you. I will be sure to tell of your fate to Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee before I kill them" he announced, draining all color from the pair's faces.
"IF YOU DARE-" a sound like breaking glass cut Yang off as Fowler grew stiff and cold, collapsing down like the guards did. "We have to get out of here with Cherry and go find Rubes and Weiss!"
Blake nodded and turned around, sparing one gaze at the cold body. If he truly was an agent of Salem, then… well she didn't have the heart to mourn for such a man. She made a couple steps- and stopped.
A loud sound echoed in the previously empty underground temple. It came from above, from the path they had already taken to this room. She stared at her partner and saw her lilac eyes open in terror.
Her head pulsed with immense pain and her heart throbbed like never before. The sound was clearly heavy footsteps- accompanied by chilling laughter and the distinct noise of a staff walking on stone.
As the laughter grew closer, the faunus' yellow eyes saw a massive red hue growing from the other side of the U-turn they had used before, like dozens small red lights floating down the stairs.