Hello everyone, how are you doing? I hope you are all doing fine!
Ahm, we have reached 150 chapters. Even as I write this, I am unable to fully realize that! Thank you all so much, so damn much, about your continuous support of the story! I can't even put it in words, so I will stop here while I still haven't started blabbering.
Hope you enjoy chapter 150 and will see you all next week in chapter 151. Until then, be well and have fun!
A soft tap on the rooftop above was the only thing Weiss heard. Before she could even turn around, a nimble figure jumped down and landed just next to her. "I found the town hall" Blake, standing up, announced.
Weiss nodded and made a gesture at Jaune and Sun. They were both in guard duty just a few meters away, so they had seen the faunus return as well. "Is it far from here?" the knight huntsman asked his leader.
"No, but we have to take a few turns down the alleys. Thankfully, I saw a fence we can jump over to make a shortcut" she adjusted her scarf.
"The thing that troubles me the most is that there is no distinct plaza spreading around it as usual. Instead, it is built on top of a crossroads with no houses nearby" she added, attracting Sun's curiosity.
"Well, that is no big surprise" he replied. Everyone turned to stare at the blonde boy. "You guys have seen a bit of our culture during the War but I doubt you knew crossroads are a big thing in Vacuan folklore."
"First time I hear of this" Weiss, visibly interested, commented. Sun did an exaggerated motion with his hand, staring at the unnaturally dim day around them. "You can find them in many folk tales and stories."
He curled his tail up, as he did when trying to talk seriously, Blake took note. "They are places of, how to say, unnatural phenomena. Magical powers and spiritual presence is said to gather around them" he said.
"There are various bed-time stories where people found spirits in the middle of crossroads, seeking their guidance and asking for aid in their time of need. A few shrines and churches can be found built on them."
"I remember seeing small shrines and offering sites gathered in a few seemingly pointless places in the desert during the war. Ruby had told me they were prayers for good luck" Jaune pondered out loudly.
Sun approved with a notion of his head "of course that's one part of the folk tales. There is another one, much darker" he continued. "You don't say" Weiss commented, eyes dripping with sarcasm at his words.
"According to some people, crossroads are the places where demonic Grimm prey upon hapless travelers. They seek to devour sinners, with a special interest in traitors, oath breakers, liars and deserters" he added.
"Like Menagerie's Boogeyman" Blake felt a shiver down her spine. This place was definitely not helping taking in scary stories. "Or Atlas' Man in Gray" Weiss remembered the childish tale of the slender kidnapper.
"In truth, though" Sun continued "people do this as some sort of divine reverence. I don't think there is any meaning-" He stopped talking as he saw the rest of the team giving him a 'are you serious now?' look.
"I will guard the rear" Jaune picked up his shield, activating the energy barrier plates crafted on it. "Why don't I fly us there?" the alabaster girl asked her captain. "We talked about that- your magic is the number 1 resource we have to preserve for this mission to be a success, Weiss."
Visibly deflated and without protesting at all that a five-minute flight is not going to hamper her aura reserves , the short huntress jumped off the wall and followed the two faunus back to the haunted roads.
-o—
For such a short distance, it took quite a toll on them to reach the town hall. Going up and down the narrow alleys was more taxing than they had estimated, as if breathing was becoming heavier with every step.
Lights bent at every direction in impossible ways, casting shadows that had no way of being cast according to the position of the sun. Jaune's eyes were sure they saw at least three reflections of things that weren't there to begin with, as if peering into another, unseen world of terror.
Even cutting through wasn't as helpful as it should have been. Passing by the fence caused a momentary nausea to all of them, forcing Blake to call a sort rest before they started moving again.
One way or another, though, they managed to break free of the steep, narrow labyrinths and reach the first outing, half-covered by the third monolith's imposing shadow as the sun was slowly moving behind it.
The town hall was a two-floor building resembling a large gray box. Its walls were curved and the tiled roof was out of place. "It's like they took a tower, cut off its top half and put a roof on it" Weiss estimated.
"Well, this place was an outpost before it became a town. You may not be far from the truth" Blake told her. "Anything to report?" she asked and received a negative answer from Sun on the left side of the road.
On the other side, Jaune stared at the weirdly placed building, taking in their surroundings. The small outing was nothing more than a crossing of streets, leaving enough room for the hall to stand out.
On all four sides of the crossing, the roads were fading back to the dark labyrinth the village-town formed. The idea of having to return to that place soon definitely put a damp on the knight's current mood.
As Sun had told them, a small religious statue resembling a venerable man holding a religious book and standing in great reverence adorned the roads' meeting point, as if blessing the travelers- or cursing them.
Jaune shook his head to remove the stupid idea from his mind. I wish you knew how bad of an influence your games are to me, Crater Face.
Blake motioned them to get in the building and he was quick to comply. He checked the door- it was shut, yet unlocked. "Going first" he waited for his teammates to get ready- and pushed it open with his shield.
The interior was quite better than what they expected. A large staircase led to the upper floor, with an elaborate wooden balcony leading to the various first floor rooms and offices. Potted plants decorated them.
The doors to either level were shaped as old stone arches and the dust lamps were forged to resemble archaic wooden torches, still burning to light off the area in a medieval, mystifying light.
"Well, this is completely unexpected" Blake stepped in. "And totally, excessively needless" Weiss whispered next to her. "Why make such an elaborate design in that place?" she wondered as Sun closed the door.
"If we have to wonder about something, let's start with where are the camp's remains and equipment" Jaune rubbed his cheek. "Mercenaries should have placed tons of stuff here, yet this place is so clean."
"Now that you mention it" cyan eyes narrowed "your survivor's report said the others had been slaughtered. Where are the remains? Aside from the cottage, we found nothing on our way here" she wondered.
"We could have bypassed them since the village is so strange" Blake's voice replied "but Jaune is right; this place was one of their three bases. There should have been at least traces of a fight, if not of a massacre."
They all assumed various thoughtful expressions while searching in the entrance hall. They looked around every nook and granny, making sure nothing was amiss before they moved in to check the rooms.
As they did, though, the ex-heiress tried a different method. She closed her eyes and whispered beneath her pale lips "Shine brightly and reveal your form" she then opened her lids, irises pulsing with a blue hue.
The Tracing Magic spell was the first thing her grandfather's notes had been referring to. It was simple, easy to customize and learn and could be used with exceptionally little aura or magic costs.
It filled her vision with power, allowing her to perceive everything that had magical origins as if it shone in a colorful light. Her inexperience let her being able to trace only highly powerful objects, though.
Just like it happened now; Weiss felt a strong, golden-black pulse from above and raised her face to the tall ceiling. It had a circular marvelous painting of the same priest depicted on the statue outside.
It shone. Or, more accurately, spread with black magic mixed in with a pure golden aura. In her vision, she saw a golden plating of immense purity, disgustingly marred by torturous scars made of vile black runes.
"Blake" she called out to her friend "can you help me with something, please?" The cat girl moved next to her "sure, what's the matter?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at the pulsing cyan eyes of her dear friend.
"There" she pointed up for the black-haired girl's trained eyes to follow "there is a circle made of a very familiar pure white gold encircling the image. It has carvings and words on it, I think. But I can't read them."
Yellow orbs focused on the glittering golden circlet. It was as eerie as it was captivating, even if she couldn't see the magical energy wrapped around its elaborate carvings or the venerable painting it surrounded.
She could however read the words with ease. "A Priest of fire; seek their bless. Offer thy soul; give them thy flesh. A herald of madness hides in a house of ash. A child's choir rhymes behind the dark glass."
Weiss' eyes closed again, dismissing her spell. She turned and stared at Blake who returned the gaze "the rhyming and references sound all so familiar to Charon's poet Red had registered" she announced.
"Yes, and feel like words of worship" Jaune's voice commented as the boy returned from his own search. "They remind me of church sermons and hallowed chants- not unlike the ones used in, well, cults" he added.
"It speaks of a Herald and a Priest" Blake urged them to climb upwards. "It could refer to cultists for all I know." Weiss waited for the others to move before she followed "I am not so sure" she countered in ponder.
"How come?" "In Avyssos' court, all the important figures were twisted, deformed Grimm. Nyctos and Alginos didn't even have mentions of any servants, what's more. If Charon isn't the exception, then it must refer to some unique monsters that serve it, like the Piper" the girl explained.
They moved up, climbing the stairs with ease. The air was heavy, but at this point the silence was overwhelming. The four huntsmen threw a lot of worried stares around, but there was no movement to be wary of.
"What had Velvet said once? The lack of clues is a clue by itself?" Jaune asked out loudly. "She is right; the lack of clues in this place that should be filled to the brim in human remains and residue dust is alarming."
Blake's voice stopped after she replied as the cat girl stared ahead. A small arch welcomed her, serving as passageway to the mayor's office. A small wooden door stood before her. She turned her head around.
Sun, Weiss and Jaune had already raised their weapons in anticipation. The boys were checking their rear, while her petite friend's rapiers were fixed ahead, ready to attack any monster trying to ambush Blake.
The team leader took a small breath to steel her heart- and pushed the two-leaf door open with a proud motion.
The ground shook. The air pulsed. The ceiling trembled. The shadows in the walls shifted; all lights flickered, acting like they were actual torches and not dust-powered lamps. Dust fell down from the trembling ceiling.
A disgusting sensation suddenly assaulted the team. It felt like they had gotten sick all of a sudden. The air smelled like rot and their lungs were burning as if they were exposed to poison. Sun fell down and vomited.
Blake tried her best to help him, eyes wide open in terror, but she could do nothing more as the temperature of the building rose without any prior notice. Her lips got parched and her tongue got instantly dried up.
Weiss was even worse; the overwhelming heat made her desert outfit feel like a fiery coil wrapped around her body. She lost her footing and stumbled down the stairs, saved by Jaune's arms at the last moment.
The stalwart boy picked her up and threw her on the balcony before his body crashed under the strain of the immense heat. He shut his lips, as if trying to keep the scorching air out of his system. "M- Put masks on!"
It took them a good five minutes to manage and put on their breathing masks, all calming down as the dust filters cooled their breathing and helped them sit down, facing each other trying to recollect their senses.
"Why are the masks helping us with the heat?" Sun asked out loudly. "I think it's because this sort of heat is not a normal one, right Weiss?" his girlfriend, tenderly rubbing his hand, asked their magical expert.
Eyes shining in power once more, Weiss took a good look of the area, before nodding in affirmation "Blake is right; the air is so saturated with magic that it's a miracle we survived long enough to put the masks on."
"So it's a spell" Jaune grimly added. "More like a curse- and I can feel it is a powerful one" she replied. "Thanks for before, by the way" she sent him a sincere smile. "Don't even mention it" he chuckled back at her.
They helped each other up. "Time to check what-" Blake's sentence was cut off at once. And for good reason, it was. "Unbelievable" Weiss had a dry, fearful tone in her voice. The boys just stood with mouths open.
In the few minutes they had been trying to survive, the town hall' inside seemed to have undergone some drastic alterations. The ceiling stood a bit higher, with the pillars, now made of a charcoal dark stone, being a lot thicker and sturdier, sporting a tarnished, quite weathered surface.
But even that was a trivial matter compared to the other changes. Most importantly, the numerous bullet holes, empty casings and blade marks that filled the interior, resting atop pieces of cracked wood and stones.
Teeth and claw prints were scattered all over the place. Large scorch marks had charcoaled the few wooden pieces of equipment. The place was considerably darker, due to the stone having mysteriously been swapped for granite, but something had managed to scrape it as well.
Blood; blood was everywhere. There were large pools of dried blood on the floor; large bloodstains had soaked in the wooden railings and the creaking balcony. Crimson splatters were on every arch, wall and pillar.
Broken weapons and crashed pieces of equipment were thrashed aside with immense brutality. Sun walked and picked up a torn rifle. A couple fingers fell off its handle in a disgusting, macabre manner as he took it.
"Holy dust" Jaune moved and stared at the mayor's office- if one could still call it that. A huge bloodstain was on the wall, just behind the desk.
"Something split the desk in half- along with the poor guy that stood in behind it" he moved back to Blake. "How did they hide those things? It could be magic, couldn't it?" Sun asked, walking towards them as well.
"Magic, huh?" Blake's response was a bit absent-minded. "While we do use the term 'magic for everything that happens we can't explain, even in its case there are things we have to think of when searching it, Sun."
Both boys stared at her in anticipation. "What sort of magic was it, why and by who was it cast and what intentions did they have for using such an elaborate trick? Even more, why did they choose to remove it now?"
Jaune crossed his hands under his chest. There was uneasiness in the air; a strange atmosphere, far more oppressive than the one before. He tried to remove his mask, but Sun raised his hand to stop him at once.
"Dude, we don't even know what the heck may happen; don't frigging risk it" he mentioned. "Everyone" Weiss' voice cut off any chance of the boy trying to argue. It was quiet, decisive- and full or terror "look up."
Cradling their weapons, they all raised their eyes at the ceiling, where the old priest's painting had greeted them before, surrounded by the enchanted white-gold canvas; the now-empty pure white gold canvas.
"What the actual heck?" before their eyes, the painting had vanished, leaving behind a pure white surface, marred by a vile scorch mark in the shape of some four-armed anthropomorphous figure with canine ears.
Ash gently fell down, searing the air with its intense heat. Weiss' eyes pulsed in shock, both from the impossible magical energy emanating from the charcoaled mark and all the insinuations she could make of it.
Was it an illusion semblance? No, it is too wide an area to cover and if someone had done so, they would have to be tailing us while using it for quite some time, the petite girl pondered. But even if it were a spell, it-
"Weiss!" Blake's voice snapped her out of her thinking "take as many samples as possible. We have to search the mayor's office for any sort of clues and then be on our way off to the miner's manager's house."
"Sure" she replied. "Jaune and Sun; I want you to stand guard. One will be guarding Weiss and the other will come with me to the office" she made a quick turn on her heels- until a loud snort forced her to stop.
Blake's body stiffened as she looked ahead. The dust lamps had been swapped for regular, old fashioned torches and all danced in a furious, twisted manner as the snort made them flicker in the nonexistent wind.
The faint glitter from the torches reflecting on her mask wasn't enough to shed light towards the now considerably longer corridor that shook violently with sounds of heavy breathing and a raging, furious howling.
With every footstep, the floor trembled. Wood creaked and splinters rolled out on the blood soaked planks. The temperature suddenly rose, sweat forming on their skin. Their vision blurred; the air thinned out.
The shadow that had fallen upon the narrow space prevented them from seeing behind the closest arch, so their leader motioned them to retreat to the staircase before whatever made those sounds came out.
Before they could make one step, though, a loud crack filled their ears.
Four clawed hands, formed of black, steaming flesh, grabbed the top of the arch, forming ripples on the black, hard granite. A loud hiss erupted from behind as a smiling mouth full of large carnivorous teeth appeared in the shade's outlines. It howled, and their hearts froze in their chests.
-o—
The powerful blast stopped, the quakes following through. The sky, full in smoldering gray ash, allowed little to no daylight; if there was any to be found in this place to begin with. The red hue vanished beneath the blood-soaked ground, as quickly and mysteriously as it had appeared.
Seated on top of an ash-covered rooftop, astonished at the outrageous nature of the place and how much it reminded her of her snow-buried village back in Atlas, Stella Taupe raised her hand towards her partner.
"The barrier has been breached from the outside" she stared at the tall man in a rather playful manner "they are here." Robert Ink hissed in an attempt to not growl much more than it was necessary.
His eyes fell on the streets below. Tall stone buildings, covered in thick layers of hot ash, spread around the narrow alleys, smeared in ancient runes of power and covered in blood and traces of recent combat.
Shadows moved around them, illuminated by the ever-burning torches of old. Heavy footsteps echoed in the tight paths and clay roofs before fading in the silent, deathly darkness of the true Clayhorn Village.
"I hate to say it but that human's protective amulets are doing a damn fine job" he spat, pointing at the two Ravager-shaped golden amulets adorning their necks "hard to believe that Grimm are not sensing us."
Stella nodded in a carefree smile "you were the one who said teaming up with them could help us benefit; you should feel proud, even if that Alizar guy is unbearable" she stood up and wore a pair of brown gloves.
Robert rubbed his chin, waiting for the passing shadows to fade back to the scenery "as long as I can bring justice to that filthy traitor and carve the Schnee bitch that killed Fenris I don't care about those lunatics."
"And what after that?" Stella armed her crossbow "you saw what Prof. Goldenrod intends to awaken. Are you ok with this thing walking the face of Remnant, Rob?" He shook his shoulders "of course not, moron."
He finished putting on some armor plates "but we have other priorities to begin with. Can you track them?" he asked. "No, but I can follow the ones who do" she winked at him and quickly jumped to the next roof.
"For their own sake" Robert put on the Blood Moon crest on his right shoulder "I wish them to die on the hands of the Gnastaur. It's a much better end than what I am doing on them" he jumped after his partner.
Behind them, another shadow shifted away, moving on the opposite direction, leaving no trails on the ash-covered roofs as it passed over the deserted, eerie village covered in dried bones and splintered guns.