Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all doing fine!
Chapter 129 is here and as always, I hope you enjoy it.
Thank a lot for keeping up with the story, with following/ favoring/ reading it. You are all awesome!
See you again next week in chapter 130. Until then, be well and have fun!
Darkness had been temporarily purged away from the observatory ground floor. The violently trashed entrance hall was smeared in blood and quite elaborately placed human parts, carefully and expertly carved in pieces.
The green light was barely visible, coming in from the various windows and the corridor that stood at the end of the flight of stairs leading to the telescope room. All of them were covered in delicately inscribed runes.
Velvet was sitting next to a hastily made stretcher, whimpering in pain as Weiss was bandaging her arm and neck. Her lips were partially swollen and her left hand had turned a bluish-red color from a few large bruises.
Next to her, on top of the stretcher was Cherry, completely blacked out of exhaustion and the damage she had accumulated during combat. The thin black marks and all the Grimm horns and appendages had vanished from her body, leaving only a series of large wounds full of caked red blood.
Yang stood guard next to them, eyes drifting from the front door to her left palm and then to the windows and the staircase, before resuming the circle anew. Her usual positive demeanor had been replaced with worry.
"I didn't risk getting further in, but the stairs and the corridor seem free of any traps or enemies" Blake appeared next to the blonde, having finished her reconnaissance. "You'd think he would be more careful" Yang said.
"Not if he anticipates our attack- or even worse, requires our presence for whatever he is doing" Weiss attached a splint at the bunny girl's arm.
"So, it's still a trap- just not one we are familiar with" the taller woman commented on her fiancée's words. "That's exactly what I thought too" Blake walked next to Velvet "how do you feel?" she asked her friend.
"It hurts, even with the painkillers; and every time I think that this thing was using my body as a ventriloquist's puppet, I just..." she shivered "...it makes me want to throw up until I wash its presence away from me."
The feline eyes trailed across the damaged arm and the lacerations on the brunette's throat. "You are completely out of aura" she exclaimed. "Yes" was the only answer Velvet could muster "it destroyed all my reserves."
Weiss finished her work and got up "I think it should hold as long as you don't get within reach of the enemy. Thankfully, you can walk, so it should be no problem to-" "Go on without me" the faunus cut off the ex-heiress.
Blake sighed deeply, but Yang and Weiss stared at the bunny woman with their eyes wide open in protest. "You aren't serious!" the brawler said "we are not leaving you here on your own!"
"Someone has to take care of Cherry; as Weiss said I can still walk, so I am pretty sure I can find a place for me and her to hide in. Even with my arm like this, I can pull the stretcher more or less" she groaned in pain.
"There is no way you will be able to" Weiss complained "and even if you did, we wouldn't ever think to leave you behind." "I can't fight like this, Weiss!" Velvet, in an extremely unusual display of anger, raised her voice.
"I have a broken arm, my lips are full of oozing blood and my throat is torn apart! My aura is so destroyed I can't even form a toothpick! You will face the man behind all this death and I will only hinder you if I am around!"
"Let's go" the cool, collected voice made Weiss and Yang turn their heads towards the cat-girl. Yang rubbed her head in discomfort, alternating her gaze between the brunette bunny faunus and the sleeping fox maiden.
Weiss, on the other hand, tried to object. "Blake?" she questioned the cat faunus. "Do I have to explain to you how right she is? I think both you and Yang are too experienced to need such a thing" yellow narrowed on blue.
"Still..." "Don't let your kindness could your judgment, Weiss" Velvet cut her off again "there is a mission we have to-
"Oh my fucking sweet lord of Dust!" Yang announced, in an excessive use of a vocal mash up. Everyone shifted their gazes at the lilac-eyed woman who held her palm, eyes open wide and skin turning pale in horror.
"Honey? What is it?" Weiss ran next to her. With a horrified gaze, the tall huntress turned at her teammates "don't ask how, but I think I just felt the pillar die" she announced, in the most ominous manner they had seen.
Blake ran to the window- and barely managed to see the last remains of the tall eldritch column of magical energy fade away, before it was snuffed out completely, its pulsing light replaced by a pallid, wicked darkness.
"We have to move; NOW!" the black-haired woman commanded. "Yang; get Velvet. Weiss; move Cherry with your runes! We will hide them inside a study next to the staircase and I will hear no complains about that!"
Her tone left no room for arguments; they hastily moved, grabbed Cherry and a very reluctant Velvet and ran up the stairs, Blake leading them into the study while looking out for traps and any Grimm lying in ambush.
"Here" they let the fox girl on a desk and Velvet on a chair. Blake took out Envelop and gave it to her "it's better than nothing- all things considered" she tried to ease the bunny faunus' discomfort.
The brunette nodded and accepted it with a reluctant yet grateful smile. "I will make sure to return it" she adjusted her splint, holding back a groan of pain until her teammates left and closed the door behind them.
"What was the 'all things considered' part for?" Weiss felt the ominous undertone behind Blake's words and asked her as they left the room.
"It's to help her escape in case we die- or to let her meet her end with honor if she fails to" Yang narrowed her eyes at the black and white girls who carefully strode the corridor to another, smaller flight of stairs.
"That is-" "no need to discuss it, baby" the lilac-eyed girl cut off Weiss, trying to defuse the lingering dread that had crept up their spirit. "Let's just do what we always do- beat up villains and look awesome" she said.
Blake wasn't convinced, if she wanted to be honest. Her mind screamed at her to leave- to take Yang, Weiss, Cherry and Velvet and run away from all this while she could, get her friends and leave the city as soon as possible.
It was the same feeling she had felt while stepping in the Grand Mother's tomb. No, it was much worse. She stared at her friends- they were both determined, but she could see the fear in their faces despite Yang's words.
"We are together on this" she said, taking a page out of Ruby's book. "The fact that we are expecting the worst doesn't mean we will let it happen- we will stop Bistre and we will make him tell us how to seal Nyctos."
"Blake..." Weiss stared at her. "Yeah, not working" Yang gave a sheepish grin "it sounds wrong when it's not Rubes saying it." The cat girl sighed deeply and then got surprised when both girls patted her shoulders.
"You are right, however; there's no reason for us to get scared now. It is one job- one really difficult-" "Weiss" Blake cut the heiress off, taking off her hands and giving the pale girl a thin smile "let's go" she urged them.
"Right!" both girls said before following their leader up to the end of the stairs.
-o-
An abhorrent scene of death and malice welcomed them in the ruined observatory area. They saw all the decay and ruin; all the vandalism and havoc Bistre had wrecked inside the place with no regards to human life.
The bonfire had died out, leaving only a pile of ashes and molten metal scraps in its place. Carbonized floor and destroyed pieces of technological equipment were scattered around or melt by some sort of heat blast.
The contained magical energy had spread out, filling the entire place in powerful, shining green runes. Thin lines of power covered floor, walls and the half-closed ceiling, like abominable cracks on a large glass panel.
Markings of- Blake gasped- Grimm hands were carved on the walls around the runes, as if they were supporting them. They were glowing in abysmal and abhorrent energy, pulsing with sinister warmth.
A few meters away from them, standing next to the bonfire's remains was Bistre Woodrock, always clad in his ceremonial robes. His long, rich brown beard barely left room for a Berengel talisman to be visible in his neck.
In his hand he was holding a large black book. Blake noticed he had a tiny knife in his belt but other than that, he seemed unarmed. Not that this was any reason to underestimate him. If he were Cherry's master, he was bound to be a skilled spell caster on his own right; maybe even stronger.
"Alas, you managed to arrive" his mellow voice brought back memories of their first meeting in Yugure. It lacked the enthusiasm it had pretended to have back then, making them notice a well-concealed malice in his words.
"You bastard!" Yang clenched her teeth, but didn't move towards him at all- she had to endure his presence until Blake ordered the attack. "I still can't believe you had the nerve to greet us in Yugure" Weiss continued.
"Nerve?" he asked, his tone full of irony "I was an enemy doing what he must in order to defeat you; you complains are as insignificant as they are completely stupid, Weiss Schnee" he addressed her in a dismissive way.
"Don't waste your time talking to him, guys" Blake stepped forward "this is the same person who manipulated an entire village into serving and preparing the awakening of an Elder- your words mean nothing to him."
A village? He thought, hiding his amusement. Is this how little of me you are aware of, Blake Belladonna? I was manipulating every single person you fought against, Azure excluded, you short-sighted woman.
"I have to say, I expected you to overcome a lot of my comrades since the beginning, but losing both Cherry and the Nameless without you having a single loss was a huge blow- they were both very useful weapons indeed."
"Weapons?" Yang's eyes turned red. "Cherry is-" "Cherry was not your weapon; or anyone's weapon as a matter of fact" Blake interjected "she was a proud warrior who faced us with all her heart and fell valiantly."
Yang's eyebrows rose in confusion, but Weiss slightly grabbed her trying to stop her fiancée from exposing Blake's bluff. The white girl had no idea why her friend lied about the faunus being dead, but she was sure there was a good reason behind it- or at least her leader thought there was.
"Insignificant, trivial feelings..." he muttered "I still don't understand what this whole fake respect is." "It's not fake!" Yang shouted, but a harsh glare from Blake made her stop at her tracks as soon as her outburst broke out.
I will kill you if you mess this up, was the message hiding in the cat girl's eyes. "You have no right to insult our honor, just because you are rotten to the point of not even understanding it" Weiss carefully pressed on.
"Inside the fire" he made a swift motion with his arm "are the remains of the Magenta siblings' huntsman outfits- my teammates when I was a tad younger than you." "What that has to do with anything?" Blake asked.
"They were working for Salem and sold me to a bandit tribe" he replied, making all three girls stare at him in mixture of confusion and sadness.
"Just because you lucked out with your so-called friendship doesn't make the world a nice place" he announced, his low-toned voice adding a chill to the atmosphere. "I am sorry to hear that, but still-"
"Don't be sorry" Bistre's eyes bulged in their holes, reflecting the alien green light "I beat the twin brothers to death with a rock in front of their sister. Then, I choked her with my very own hands with her blouse."
"You killed your teammates with your own hands!?" Yang's eye color had passed the acceptable level- only the dreadful feeling of the room kept her away from charging him "and you talk about it like it didn't matter?"
"I killed three worms who betrayed me; nothing more and nothing less" he simply stated. His eyes, his face... he didn't even flinch while claiming that. Blake felt a shiver run down her spine at his inhuman indifference.
"Cherry's feelings dragged her down while fighting you. Your feelings are making you weaker- like in Yugure, when Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Schnee almost beat each other to death for no apparent reason; yes, I was there."
"You WHAT?" Weiss screamed. "You stood by in the shadows, watching us beat each other?" Blake asked in shock. "Beating, swearing; I admit it was quite a shock to see two huntresses of your caliber in such a sorry state."
Blake took a couple breaths. Don't lose your calm; let bygones be bygones just like Weiss said. "If you are trying to make us beat you even more, you are doing an excellent job" the pale girl's voice dropped dangerously low.
"As I said, feelings are a thing that I don't care about- especially yours" he admitted. "But I will warn you that it is in your best interest to not fight me right now; if you want to have any chance at sealing Nyctos, that is."
"So, you do know a way to seal it" Blake took the bait at once. Bistre was fully aware that she would and allowed himself to laugh in the inside "this is what I have been trying to do all along, Blake Belladonna" he said.
The cat faunus' ears shot up "if you think we are going to believe anything you say, then you are both heartless and stupid" she drew Nightfall "but you are going to seal it- we will make sure of it" her teammates got ready.
"Believe me or not- it matters little" he let, for the very first time since the moment they had entered inside the room, a wide smile form on his face, revealing white, clean teeth- and a horribly scarred tongue full of runes.
"Imprison" a mere word was all that it took. A surge of power blasted out of the floor, swirling like a mad mist of eldritch energy. Blake tried to jump away, but the magic engulfed them like a miniature of the dome outside.
Unlike the dome, it formed a cage of black-green steel that trapped the huntresses inside before they could find a way to react. Yang punched at the cage's walls, but they didn't even tremble. She glared at the tall man.
"Without an energy source supporting it, it will hold for no more than a few minutes" Weiss announced, her left hand glowing in magical power "in addition, it doesn't allow you to interact with us either, if I am correct."
"Impressive, Ms. Schnee" the man's eyes momentarily opened "I see the rumors of your intellect had some truth in them; you have barely started using magic, but your understanding of its fundamentals is exceptional."
"Magic of that form is just another formula; thus easy to read" she replied "you are neither Ozma nor Salem. At best, your power could match a new maiden, like Lumia was" a pair of heterochromatic eyes narrowed at him.
"Which means that you are trying to buy time" Blake stepped next to the cage, facing the man "to awaken Nyctos before we can stop you."
"As I said; my intention is not to awaken it- I truly want to end Nyctos here once and for all, Ms. Belladonna" he replied. Feral yellow eyes narrowed in disbelief, making the man match her glare with a smirk of his own.
"You don't believe me, do you? Well, that is fine" his voice returned to the usual mellow, eerie tone it had "we still have some time, so allow me to let you in a secret; I have no intention of letting any Eldergrimm awaken."
From the corner of her eye Blake stared at Yang, who stood in silent anger, her left arm clutching the magical cage's bars. "That sounds rich, coming from someone who released that thing in the first place" she accused.
"Oh, it was all part of the plan; I just needed it barely alive in order to perform the ritual of awakening- only it won't be Nyctos who is going to be awakened, but me" he responded to the cat girl's taunts, smiling.
"Excuse me, what?" Blake's response was one of genuine shock. Weiss' thin eyebrows furrowed. They expected some sort of abominable plan, of course, but not something like of that sort. "What do you mean by that?"
"Salem" he replied. "She tried to perform hubris to the Gods, she tricked and lied and toyed around humanity, for the pitiful reason of wanting her lover back- she straight up lied in the face of Gods and Mortals alike."
He stared at the fire "and for her sacrilege and sly acts, instead of being punished, she was rewarded with eternal life, immortality and immense magical power- and spent half her infinity still chasing after her lover!
I would laugh was it not so tragic- all that knowledge, all that power given to a bitch as punishment. Truly, Gods of Remnant must have been mad at the time- a lonely woman gifted with so many things she didn't deserve."
"And who are you to say whether she deserved it or not?" Blake hissed. "Salem was a sinner and a liar, yes, but she paid for her sins-
"WITH WHAT? BY BEING IMMORTAL? BY GAINING ALL THAT MAGICAL POWER AT HER DISPOSAL" his shout made Blake flinch. "HOW DID SHE PAY? BY BECOMING THE STRONGEST BEING TO EVER WALK REMNANT?"
He got closer to her "she was gifted with everything she could ever wish- and wasted all her gifts going after Ozma's hug or trying to find a way to die- Gods were MAD! She should have been disintegrated from the start."
"You are so full of yourself..." Weiss whispered. "You are way above your league, condemning the Gods. You speak with authority you don't have. I have seen arrogant people before, but you are on a different scale."
He moved a little away "I wonder about that; Is it truly me who is being an arrogant person? Or are you simply too ignorant to understand what I am going to do? Doesn't matter either way- you will see for yourselves soon."
Blake sent a quick glance towards her back, doing her best not to allow the man notice her. "If the Gods are so foolish... if being a murderous and lying bastard is rewarded in this world, then..." he let out a creepy laugh.
"If a mourning widow with no abilities other than being born to a huge amount of magical skill deserves to gain immortality and being called the Queen of the Grimm, imagine what I deserve to gain" he turned his back.
"I have dedicated my life to researching the Elders. I spent years finding as many useful tools as possible. Carmel, Alizar, Cinder, Cherry... all of them was my creations. I spent endless hours upon hours, weeks upon weeks, months upon months honing my magical skills and cultivating my allies.
I studied like a maniac; I delved into ancient tombs and faced unnamable horrors. I performed sacrificial rites the likes of you would vomit even by hearing about. I gave my very existence to develop my skills!"
He glared at them, his eyes bulging in anger "I am far worthier than any other being in this world to wield the unfathomable power that she had. And now" he placed the book in the ashes "I shall gain all of it and more."
A loud sound came from behind, forcing Bistre to turn around, just in time to see the magical cage collapse. His eyes narrowed in confusion, as the three huntresses emerged out of the vanishing torrent of magical energy.
"Congratulations" Yang's voice reached him "you are officially the worst, most self-righteous and most arrogant person I have ever met. You give my future father-in-law a run for his money every time of the day."
She stepped out, her left arm shining in power. Green veins ran across its surface, painfully digging inside her skin forming a series of small, bloody punctures. On her palm was a large bulging eye made of thin black lines.
"The Grand Mother's eye" Bistre let out a shocked gasp "how did you get that?" he asked, his face becoming red in fury. "I have zero idea" she said, as a very concerned Weiss and a cautious Blake stepped next to her.
"I feel so mad right now, I could choke you with my bare hands" the pale girl stated. "No, he is mine" Yang her fingers "I will turn him into a bloody pulp." Blake raised her hand and stepped forward "Leave him to me! All-"
All three of them stopped at the very same moment. They looked at each other's face and let out a shocked gasp. Their eyes were all a vivid red color the hue of deep, bloody crimson and their teeth were clenched.
A mighty scream tore the sky. It sounded like a primordial creature from the first days of creation had escaped from hell. It broke all the windows and cracked the surface of the ground. It froze the blood in their veins.
"Calm yourselves down!" Blake and her friends broke in hushed, rasped breaths to control their rising pulses. The cat faunus opened and sniffed whatever remains of her vial she could as if her life depended on it.
Bistre smiled. He stared up in the sky, where the dark mist had begun to fade and the dome slowly vanished, revealing dozens of Moroas flying around a pitch-black figure, covered in the darkest, foulest miasmatic fog.
"It has arrived."