Chapter 12 – No Chances Anymore
Terra
The Argus Police Department… it was a large building with many men and women from all walks of life working there. All trying to keep the peace in the city. She sat at her desk, looking over her most recent job, tracking down an utter maniac. The Tattooist, as he was nicknamed. A monster, through and through, she could still see the horrific bodies that he left in his wake.
The bodies on the photographs taken that night remained hung up on the large map of the city, showing how she managed to deduce the pattern of the location, and the approximate area of where he would attack his next victim. Leaving the same tattoo on their ripped-up bodies. Terra was cheered as a hero here at the Police Department and was even given a medal for her actions in bringing the monster that was responsible for so many deaths to justice.
Yet… she never enjoyed the heroism she was labelled with. I just wish I could have done something faster… otherwise less people would have died such horrible deaths.
"Hey, Terra?" His voice surprised her, and she looked over her computer, seeing the Chief of Police stood there, knocking on the door. "How are you feeling?"
"Hey, Chief… I'm good." Terra lied.
"Terra, you have been working for me for nearly ten years now… I know when something is on your mind." He said as he closed the door behind him and pulled out one of the stools, sitting upon it.
Terra raised a brow. "Oh yeah? How can you tell?"
"Because you ruin every single pen you have by gnawing on it like a feral Grimm." He chuckled, Terra raised her finger, ready to retort, until she noticed her pen on the table, chewed to pieces. She quickly pushed it aside and rested her arms on the table.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She beamed, making the Chief laugh. But the Chief was not buying it.
"But really, Terra. What's up?" He asked her, Terra sighed, and she closed her laptop. "Is it about the Tattooist Case? Those bodies were… something horrifying."
"No… I have seen enough scary shit in my life for these cases to have little effect anymore. And besides… knowing that he is now behind bars… it makes it a little easier." She sighed, massaging her brow.
"Then why do you look like you've had little to no sleep?" He asked her.
I can't tell him. We may be friends, really good ones now, but I will not risk his safety. I mean how would I even bring it up?
"Hey, Chief, I'm actually working with some Rogue Huntresses to bring down my Foster Brother and Salem by digging into some dark secrets in the world! And I'm terrified that my wife and son could get caught in the crossfire, but I have to do it for Saph's Brother? No wonder I can't sleep!"
No… I can't… otherwise he could get linked to us as well, and I do not want anyone to get hurt on my account.
His daughter just turned thirteen… I can't risk him and his family.
I won't.
Terra quickly forged a lie, exhaling and rubbing her eyes. "I dunno… I might just have to go get checked out at the Doctor's. Been feeling kinda off for a…" She paused when she felt her Scroll Vibrate, and she pulled it from her pocket. The Hardlight Screen formed, and she stared down at it with sadness in her eyes, and tears welled up.
"Terra?" He asked her.
SAPH: She's gone, honey… she died in her sleep…
"I… I have to go…" She said as she stood up from her desk and approached the door.
"Terra?"
She stopped and turned to him. "My mom… she's gone…"
A few hours later…
Terra arrived at the Morgue at Argus, with Saphron beside her. Adrien was still at school, and it was lingering in their mind that they were gonna have to break this painful news to him. That his Grandma had just passed away. Sadly, he hardly knew her since she was already in a Vegetative State after the Grimm Attack in Vale ten years ago. But he still met her and loved her despite never hearing her voice.
They covered up her body with the sheet, and Saphron gently touched her wife's shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked, and she sighed.
"It's… strange…"
"What do you mean?"
"I've been looking at dead bodies for over ten years… most of them in states so much worse than Mom's. Butchered by the cruellest men and women to ever walk Remnant. Yet… seeing her on that table… knowing that… she really is gone now." Terra paused, closing her eyes. "I dunno how to feel."
Terra paced back and forth. "Sad? That she's gone, and she never recovered? Or maybe… relieved? Because now she can finally rest…" Terra explained. Saphron approached her and smiled, caressing her cheek. She then kissed Terra affectionately on the lips, pressing her head to hers.
"I'mma go get us a coffee, okay? I'll be right back." She assured, Terra turned back to the wall and stared at the body of her mother. She could recognise the sound of his footsteps from anyway as he drew closer and closer. Her eyes narrowed as he stood beside her.
"I just heard…" Killian said as he stood there with his arms behind his back. Terra did not even look at him.
"I can smell the booze on you." She scoffed, Killian glanced at her and he sighed. He looked ill, worse than he ever looked before. His veins around his chest looked like they were discoloured, darker than usual. His Grave Dust Arm was concealed inside of a cybernetic sleeve, perhaps to hide the truth behind what he had become.
"I know what you think of me. But I'm not here to argue… I just wanna see her." Killian stated. "I just wish I could have done something… if I had just been there that day… she'd be alive."
"There are some things even you cannot control." Terra snarled, keeping her arms crossed and glaring into the room with her mother's body in it. Killian looked at her.
"I did what I had to do, sister." Killian said, she chuckled and glared at him.
"Don't call me that. I know what you did, I may not have any proof, but I know. Your Black Gallows Forces just happened to be at all the Academies across the world during Salem's Assault? Alongside the Foundations of Sovereignty when my brother-in-law and all his friends slaughtered the Councillors? I know you had a hand in it…" Terra growled, and he glared right back.
"Terra…"
"I don't know if you have been working for Salem the whole time… but you definitely helped her slaughter the ones who remain. You helped her kill Jaune… and Pyrrha… and so many others. You are no brother of mine; I would never have a true brother who would kill so many good people for his own survival… or ambitions. Don't think I forgot about your hatred for the Academies either. For a time… I thought you had a point. But now? No… and I'm gonna tell you the same thing I said the last time you spoke to me. Don't ever come back, and never come near my family ever again."
Killian's eye twitched, something she noticed, and it struck her as odd. It was like he was a completely different person now, with completely different ticks. Killian looked at her then looked past her, seeing Saphron stood down the hallway with a hateful glare as she held the two coffee cups in his hands. He turned and walked away from her. Terra looked at her wife and walked towards her.
"Terra…"
She stopped.
"Be careful with this path you're treading on. If you dig too deep into this rabbit hole… there is no guarantee that I can pull you out." He warned with his fists clenched. She could not see his face, but his eye was twitching more and more… and he was looking… concerning. Not completely insane but teetering over the edge.
He was falling apart.
And losing his mother?
And his Sister now despising his existence was simply sending him deeper and deeper into that hole.
And soon…
… he was going to snap.
Robyn
Surprisingly, it did not take them exceptionally long to discern the location of the Mistraalian Lab that belonged to Arthur Watts.
The files were out there on the web, countless people went exploring on silly adventures into abandoned locations would encounter the facility. The hardest bit was simply getting there since it was out in the deepest parts of Mistraalian Wildlands. Dodging Grimm Beasts left and right and making sure that there were no Black Gallows Drones in the area either. But luckily, the Happy Huntresses found it together.
Robyn pulled her hood back as she gazed forward at the small Building, claimed by time. Shrouded in vegetation and infested with rust. May stood beside her, grasping onto her Staff tightly. "Well… looks like we found it." She spoke.
"Yeah, keep your eyes open. That bastard is smart, wouldn't doubt the chances of there being some booby traps in here." Robyn proceeded forward, keeping her Crossbow attached to her arm at the ready. Eyes peeled and ears listening to every sound. Joanna walked forward as they approached the already open doors.
"Those kids explored most of this building… but they didn't find anything big. Otherwise, it would have been in their videos." Joanna stated.
"Unless the Black Gallows caught them and edited the footage a bit to make it look like nothing more than a boring old building." Robyn stated.
"Why would they bother?" Joanna asked.
"It's something I learned from Killian back when I was Veronica. They used to snatch up all sorts of kids who were exploring in places that they shouldn't. They'd either scare them so bad they'd never do it again or wipe their memories of that day. But they also don't want to raise suspicions… so uploading a video onto the net for them? One that specifically shows only footage of some old stuff left behind? Nothing incriminating? It would definitely stop people going there with the soul intention of becoming famous for uncovering a crazy mystery, right?" Robyn clarified, Fiona nodded her head as she walked in first, holding up her flashlight.
"Makes sense, I guess." She agreed.
"What concerns me the most is how the Gallows even figured out these kinds of kids and explorers managed to grab them in the first place." May pointed out.
"Well… there must be some sort of security system still operating here. But… when we saw those videos? I doubt they kept quiet about where they were going, probably started posting it all over social media before they left. The Black Gallows were probably just sitting there waiting for them to turn up." Robyn stated. "Like I said… I learned a lot about their methods from Killian."
May crouched down to the old mouldy boxes on the floor, carefully turning them. A mouse squeaked and bolted past her, she jolted, expecting it to be either a Grimm or a Trap. "Stupid mouse…" She sighed. Fiona giggled, which made her raise an eyebrow. "Watch it, you."
Fiona just giggled again as she quickly bounced around, moving towards one of the rooms, she and Joanna walked inside first. There was nothing out of the ordinary here either. All seemed to be awfully familiar to what they saw from that video on the internet, actually. "I can't be the only one who has a bad feeling here, right?" Joanna asked. "Everything is exactly the same as it was in those videos. Like this has been staged."
"Probably has been, to lure us off the scent. Watts has something hiding here, I know it. The question is more where is he hiding it?" Robyn muttered, checking underneath the Receptionist Desk.
A growling sound caught their attention, causing them to spin around and draw their weapons. "Something is inside… be ready." Robyn whispered, they continued to keep their nerves sharp. May walked carefully around the corner, aiming her long Crossbow Staff down the hallway. There were many rooms… the thing that creeped them out in the video, and again now, was the fact this place looked like a hospital. She checked one of the rooms, finding nothing inside, apart from a bunch of old files. She set her Staff down on the table and picked up one of the old file records. She wiped the dust and grime off the laminated paper and shone her flashlight on it.
Patient No: 1256
Name: Amanda Hawkins
Injury: Torn off arm, after an attack by an Ursa Major, alongside broken ribs and a punctured lung
Operation Plan: Run by Doctor Arthur Watts from Atlas, testing a brand-new Medical Device known as _, he has claimed it will help us stabilise the patient a lot faster. Perhaps even construct brand new ribs for her and even forge a new arm from it as well. He said that it is still in the experimental phase, so she will have to sign a consent form. She has signed it, she did it yesterday… I must say though… this guy is making me on edge.
Something is very, very sinister about him.
I am going to call Professor Polendina, hopefully he can ease my concerns. Maybe this is just the way he acts… and does not have more sinister reasons for coming here.
This was going to be a simple operation. It's exceedingly rare that Atlesians send one of their best to work on some of our patients. We're just a Local Hospital… I don't get it.
Professor Harper
"Gods… I think we know what that stuff was. It's the Grave Dust." May muttered to herself. "Hey, Robyn?" She called out, unaware of the creature bolting through the bushes outside, snarling again. Robyn poked her head up from the desk, curiously.
"What's up?" She asked her, and May walked over with that File, slapping it down onto the counter.
"This file… I think he was testing the Early Stages of the Grave Dust here. On innocent patients. The doctors trusted him because he was one of Atlas' finest minds… they had no idea." May explained, it made Fiona shudder.
"To think that shit was initially meant to help people." Robyn sighed.
"Didn't you say that Killian first met Watts during this whole event? When he was younger?" May asked.
"Yeah, the day that Watts vanished off the face of Remnant. But that was up in Atlas, near the Atlesian Wildlands. Not here in Anima… this must have been earlier… and the fact that nobody knew about this one is… concerning." Robyn explained.
"Well, if he tested it on patients, surely the next place to look would be the Operating Theatre, right?" Fiona inquired. Robyn nodded her head.
"Yeah, it's gotta be further in this place. Let's keep looking." She then looked up at the broken roof, seeing the dust fall down before their eyes. "And remember… something is hunting us. Be ready for anything…"
"Oh, we're ready." Joanna assured as she popped her neck. Robyn turned the corner, shining her light down it, carefully walking forward as they heard the growling sounds echoing through the rafters. Down the hallway, they saw the vent system start to rattle violently.
"Looks like whatever this thing is coming to join the party!" Robyn called out, and it the vents collapsed in front of them, revealing the Creature. It roared at them viciously, with long clawed arms and shorter legs, it could easily sprint towards them and climb on the walls with the claws. But the thing that shocked them was its completely armoured head, like a Hound or a Creep, however this one created a clicking sound, like echolocation. It was blind but could probably hear their heartbeats with how heightened its other senses were. It viciously snarled before roaring savagely at them.
"Venator!" May called out, it suddenly shot forward, sprinting with shockingly impressive speed, bouncing off the walls before spitting acidic blood from its mouth. Robyn rolled aside and fired her Crossbow at the monster. It dodged it and climbed back up into the ceiling. They could hear it sprinting through, causing parts of the panels to break and fall in front of them.
Until its arms suddenly burst through and grappled onto Fiona, lifting her up. Joanna wrapped her muscular arms around the smaller Huntress, the Venator roared viciously as it tried to pull her away. "Shoot it! I can't get my Staff!" She yelled, reaching down for the staff as hard as she could. May swiftly fired her Crossbow upwards and nailed the Venator in the fleshy part of its chest. It squawked, releasing her and bolted back into the vents.
Joanna carefully set Fiona down. "Are you okay?" She nervously asked her friend.
"Yeah… ugly bastard nearly got me though." Fiona dusted herself off, before the monster erupted through the wall behind them and grabbed the table, lifting it up like a shield.
"It's not done with us yet!" Robyn yelled; Joanna fired one of the bolts from her Crossbow, but it just hit the table instead. The Venator screeched, and launched the table towards them, knocking Joanna directly off her feet. The Venator snarled before rushing forward again, Robyn punched down the button on her Crossbow, firing multiple Bolts towards the beat. But it dodged them all and leapt directly at her with a feral roar, grabbing her by the throat and smashing her down against the ground repeatedly. It then lifted her up and smashed her against the wall.
It stared straight into her eyes with a savage growl, drooling saliva from its needly teeth. Robyn kicked it in the chest but the Venator just pushed her back against the wall and went to bite down onto her throat, until Joanna roared and grabbed it by the shoulder, and she threw it down the hallway. It crashed into one of the old gurneys and barked from the impact, it pushed itself back up and hissed, staring them down.
"My invisibility won't do a thing to confuse this bastard, it's blindness means it can easily hear every move we make." May stated.
"Don't worry, we just gotta get a good hit on it. It may be fast, but it can't withstand long drawn-out fights… that's why the bastard keeps fleeing." Robyn explained as she kept her Crossbow aimed at it. Just as she predicted, the monster bolted back through the building, most likely aiming to surprise them once again. The Four Huntresses stood back-to-back, ready to counter its next move.
"Stay sharp… ugly blind shitbag could burst out of anywhere at any MOMENT!" May grunted as the Venator dropped down right in front of her and swung both its arms into her chest, which threw her against the wall. The Venator's clicking was constant, and it slashed its claws up Joanna's chest as she went to strike the beast across the head with the Staff. Joanna smashed against the wall with old photographs of the staff and the Venator rushed her once more and grabbed her by the throat, smashing her against the wall. Joanna slammed her arms down onto the forearm of the creature, and then Fiona jumped onto its back and pulled her staff up into its throat, forcing it away from her.
It flailed around aimlessly, unable to locate her, its long-curved claws slashed through the walls like searing hot knives through butter. May fired her Crossbow into its abdomen then Fiona jumped off its back, pushing it towards Joanna who wound up one hell of a punch. The impact threw the beast down the hallway and it tumbled across the floor. It dug its claws into the ground and roared at them again, until Robyn aimed her Crossbow at it.
"Shut up you ugly bastard!" She yelled, firing a High Explosive Arrow right down its gullet. The entire creature burst like a fiery balloon, thick black blood splattered all over the walls and she lowered the Crossbow.
"I… haaaaate… those things." Fiona groaned.
"Well, hey… just remember… there's probably thousand more out there." Robyn winked.
May sighed. "You really gotta work on your inspiring speeches, Robyn." They followed Robyn away from the dead Venator, and they approached the next set of doors. Joanna forced them open, breaking the locks in the process with her strength. She nodded to them when she checked to see if it was clear, and Robyn went inside first whilst the others followed. May kept her eyes on their rear, making sure that nothing… and no one… was following them.
That feeling was still there, though.
Like someone else was here.
"Look! Operating Theatre." Fiona called out, Robyn smiled and patted her on the back.
"Good eyes, Fi." Fiona beamed up at Robyn. She approached the room and they walked inside, finding the empty operating table inside. There was not much in here though. Apart from some old stains, there was no sign of an operation happening here. No tools, no E.K.G, nothing.
"There's gotta be something here." Joanna sighed, May turned when she sensed something, narrowing her eyes. She approached the carpet and crouched down whilst they spoke, closing her eyes and pressing the palm of her hand against the floor. Her eyes widened…
Vibrations…
"Guys… there's power here. I can feel it in the floor." May revealed.
"Huh? That's impossible, this place has been abandoned for years." Robyn replied.
"I'm telling you, Hill… there's something underneath us. Something that still has power…" She spoke. "This area of the floor is warm, even." Joanna approached and crouched down, grabbing the edge of the carpet and ripping it backwards. It revealed something – a Trap Door.
"Well hell… that's not something you expect to see in a hospital." Fiona softly said.
"Let's get that thing open." Robyn said to them, and she crouched down with Joanna and they both forced it open as hard as they could. However, it was locked, so Robyn just sighed and stepped back. "I'd stand back if I were you." She said, loading up one of her Explosive Arrows.
"Oh crap." May jolted, swiftly moving aside. Once they were all stood aside, she fired, and the explosion caused the entire room to rattle, including the windows. When the smoke cleared… it was still there.
"Oh, for crying out loud." Fiona groaned.
"That's one tough lid." Joanna nodded her head.
"That's because it's Top Military Grade Security." A familiar voice spoke, they all spun around and aimed their Crossbows. Robyn's eyes widened.
"D-Dutch?" She gasped.
"In the flesh." He admitted, taking off that familiar X-Shaped Helmet.
"What're you doing here?" May challenged, they all trusted him but knew he still worked with the Black Gallows.
"Don't worry I'm alone. Hell, the only reason you four haven't been grabbed yet is thanks to me, I've been faking some readings on the scanners left here for intruders. I convinced Killian to let me and a small team fix the issue." He quoted.
"Uh… where's the team, then?" Fiona asked curiously.
"Still asleep after I spiked their drinks last night with some sleeping tablets. They'll probably be having genuinely nice dreams for a few more hours." He shrugged his shoulders. They lowered their weapons, end of the day he looked after them for six years when he didn't need to. He had no reason to betray them now. "The only way into that Door is with an access code… luckily… I'm fairly good at Decrypting." He said as he whipped out his scroll.
He crouched down wit his Scroll and the screen came up, bringing up the encryption Watts had put in there. "Hmm… not bad Watts… but I don't scare easy." He said as he started to fight through the software. Robyn crouched down next to him, looking at him with a small smile.
"It's good to see you, Dutch." She softly said to him, he smiled as he continued to wither Watts' defences.
"I might have had some time to think about what you said… about looking the other way?" He said, and she smiled. "I don't know about Killian… about killing him yet. I still hope that there's still a chance for him… but… I dunno anymore. He's hardly the man I used to know… and… well… his Foster Mom passed away today. He looks like he's losing it… drinking more and more every day… and I don't think he sleeps anymore." Dutch explained, he paused and looked at her. "But you're right… I can't keep sitting on my ass and hoping things will change without doing things I would rather not." He explained.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
"No… as in… for what he has become. I hoped he would change too, once."
"I know… but Salem has her claws in him. Watts too… I want to make them pay for what they forced him to become."
Robyn smiled, happy to see him again. His scroll flashed green and beeped joyously, and the Trap Door slid open. "Nice!" Fiona squeaked with joy, and Robyn stood up and walked down inside. Dutch raised his Assault Rifle as he walked beside her, Soldier and Huntress side by side. He lowered it with wide eyes from what they found.
"By the gods…" Dutch gasped.
There were skeletons… everywhere. And a dead body as well on the table, also reduced to bones. Everyone else had holes through their ribcages, like they had been shot or something like that… but the one laid on the table? The bones had been eroded slightly… ground down… it was terrifying because they could not identify what did this kind of damage.
"The hell happened here?" May gasped as they looked around, Dutch turned his head when he saw a Terminal that was still online. The holographic screen was flickering on and off. He looked at the screen and tried to get it working, but it kept turning on and off again. He crouched down and found that it had been shot multiple times.
"Shit… someone has badly damaged it." He spoke.
"Can you fix it?" Robyn asked him.
"I can at least see if we can get something onto our scrolls." He said as he fiddled around to try and find the hard drives. Joanna approached him and crouched down.
"Look, we trust you… but we need to know. Did you hear anything about this? Anything at all?" She asked him.
"No, this is all new to me. I read every single file on the Grave Dust Case; I knew about him being involved in this Hospital… but I didn't know about this. And I have read some really disturbing cases over the years… ones I wish I hadn't. But… no… I haven't seen anything like this. So, either Killian chose to hide this one… or even the Black Gallows didn't know about it until later. And chose to keep it hidden." Dutch explained.
"Well… honestly? I think it's the latter. Everything came up with lab when we learned of this place, but the closest thing to a lab was the Operating Theatre he worked in. That must have been what people were talking about… and none of them knew that this horror was right beneath their feet." Robyn explained, it shook her up just thinking about all those explorers who came here, completely unaware that they were stood atop a mass grave.
"There you are… Hard Drive… still intact." He said as he lifted it up.
"If the Black Gallows knew… why did they never take the Hard Drives?" Fiona asked.
"I don't think they managed to break his encryption. It wouldn't have reset; it would have already been unlocked. They must have decided to just cover it up, not find out what was down here." Dutch explained. "I worked with Pietro Polendina to create this Decryptor. Black Gallows never had anything like this… and still doesn't." He said to them with a little smile.
"Nice move." May chuckled.
He respectfully walked around the skeletons and set the hard drive on the table, connecting it to his scroll. He flicked through the files, finding file after file… until he found the Camera Footage of what happened here. Fiona curiously turned and saw that the Cameras were shot as well.
"Someone was definitely here." She spoke.
"I think we have a pretty good idea of who that might be." Joanna stated.
The footage was brought up, last few minutes, it showed the Patient on the table. May's eyes widened. "That's her… the patient file… her arm's missing, her cracked ribs and punctured lung. Miss Hawkins." She remembered.
There were many people there, including a young man with a clean-shaven face, and quite the sinister look. Dark hair on his head and wearing a dark jacket. "Watts… this was a while ago. Look how young he is." Robyn said, they continued to watch the footage. There was no audio, most likely lost from the damage done to the recording system.
They watched as he stood there and set his purple bag with golden accents on it down on the table, and he revealed the Grave Dust Cannister. Everyone looked concerned, including the patient who stared at the cloud of swirling black dust inside of it. He put on his rings and they could immediately see the Grave Dust respond to his commands. Even then it was like an organism how it moved, following his hands. He opened the cannister and the dust levitated from its glass enclosure, floating over the woman. She shook fearfully as it descended down towards her bandaged-up arm.
Some of it entered the wound, and it festered in the wound, sealing it up as Watts said it would. They watched as the Surgeons looked in awe as the wound was completely stabilized. The X-Rays even showed the Dust forging new replacement ribs and sealing her lung more effectively than their more primitive methods, such as the Medical Foam. "It worked…" Fiona said with genuine astoundment in her voice. But that was when it changed, they saw the look in Watts' eyes change, and he smirked cruelly, clenching his hand into a fist.
Suddenly the Grave Dust turned aggressive, and they saw the woman start to scream in immense pain as she shook and started to spasm, and the dust started to rip her apart from the inside. The Surgeons panicked, knowing Watts was behind it, and one of them grabbed a Scalpel and rushed towards him. He glared at him and the rest of the Dust that floated in the air blasted directly at the man, carving a hole straight through his sternum in one strike. He continued to do the same to everyone else in there, killing them all.
Every…
… single…
… one.
They were all shocked at what they saw, left gobsmacked. Watts stood around them, the woman was dead on the table, blood leaking from every orifice, and the rest of his Grave Dust left her corpse through her mouth. It swirled around his hand as he smiled, walking away from their corpses, he stopped as he saw the camera. He drew his Revolver and pointed it at the camera, firing it, and presumably was the one who shot the terminal.
"By the gods… we came here looking for something about the Black Queen Virus… but instead we found this." Robyn said with wide eyes.
"Can we use this?" Fiona asked.
"We could but it would have little weight in what we want. We need the Black Queen Virus, proof that he made it and Killian worked with him. What we need is real proof of what went down in there. All the footage was corrupted by that Virus, but surely there is still some original footage left somewhere, right?" Robyn asked, looking at Dutch.
"Perhaps…" He spoke.
"What if we go to Pietro? He's in Vale right now, isn't he? We could ask him to help us out. He could help us hack into the Virus itself, find the original footage." Robyn suggested.
"That's all well and good but for him to do that we actually need something that has been hacked by the Black Queen Virus. Or has been, and maybe still has remnants of it still in it." Dutch explained. Then Dutch's eyes widened.
"What? What is it?" May asked him.
"He mentioned something when I was there…" He mumbled as he tried to remember. "That's right! He was still searching for his daughter, Penny!"
"She was hacked by it six years ago, wasn't she?" Fiona asked.
"Exactly, he said that the Virus was making it hard for him to track her and he wanted to get the thing out of her head. To save her from it… he said he got a spike here in Mistral, in Kuchinashi a few months back. There was a fight there, I didn't see it myself, but it must have been her. Maybe even…"
"What? Maybe even what?" Joanna asked.
"Oh, it's all making sense now…" Dutch gasped.
"Oh gods, enough with the beautiful mind shit, the hell are you talking about?" Robyn questioned.
"Recently, and I mean recently, like a day or two ago now… Cinder Fall was revealed to be harbouring someone we never expected to be alive… Pyrrha Nikos." He revealed to them, the Huntress' eyes widened.
"What?" May gasped.
"I know… I don't know the details… I don't think even Salem knows. But Adam Taurus attacked them despite Salem commanding him not to, and they escaped. Watts, Hazel and Tyrian nearly had them when they were saved by Ruby Rose in the Atlesian Mountains…" He explained. "A few days before that, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long and a few others were spotted in Argus, and Penny Polendina was with them. They were saving her from the city, and from being captured by the Black Gallows. If Penny is anywhere right now, it is where Ruby is."
"And… where is she?"
"The Summit's Claim." He revealed. "If there is some way to find the real footage of what happened at the Foundations of Sovereignty… the key to it is through the virus that Penny Polendina is still connected to." He explained, Robyn smirked and nodded her head.
"Sounds like a damn good plan to me." Robyn said.
"You guys better get moving, Salem knows where they are now too. I need to get back to my team before they realise something is up. I'll find you again whenever I can." He promised.
"Stay safe, Dutch." Robyn requested, he picked his helmet up and smirked.
"I'm always safe, Robyn… you should know that." He said as he put the X-Shaped Helmet on his head, which transformed into a normal Stockholm Trooper Helmet, and he left them, giving them time to get away.
"Looks like we're heading up to the Summit's Claim… let's just hope that we're not too late."
Ruby
The Mountain Pass was always the same, previous tracks swallowed by the snow, and the wind howled against their cheeks with such a frostbitten touch. Ruby's black and red cape blew in the wind as she walked with Penny beside her, and Cinder followed her. Ruby turned to her girlfriend, noticing her expression.
"Hey… you okay?" She asked her, Penny glanced at Ruby and quickly nodded.
"Y-Yeah… it's just… I know that she didn't mean to do it… but I still remember it…" Penny stammered, touching the old sewn up scars around her body where she was put back together. Ruby's hand gently held hers, and she smiled adoringly.
"I'm here… okay?" She assured, and Penny smiled, resting her head on Ruby's shoulder. Cinder glanced at them.
"How long's that been going on for?" Cinder asked, they both looked at the Fall Maiden, the very one who tore them apart ten years ago… for four years they were divided. Penny looked away from Cinder, scared of her as well… perhaps more than Pyrrha. She was the one who Orchestrated that attack on Beacon in the first place, after all.
"A few years now…" Ruby answered, Penny walked ahead, and Cinder took note.
"I get it… she doesn't trust me." Cinder said.
"Can you blame her?" Ruby asked the Fall Maiden, that was something that Cinder found hard to argue with either. The two of them walked together. Ruby then looked at her. "What happened? To the Branwen Tribe?" She asked her, Cinder glanced at Ruby and she sighed. At the end of the day these two had some catching up to do, might as well do it now.
"Shay. Remember him?" Cinder answered.
"Yeah, the creepy asshole with the mullet, right?" Ruby inquired, which made Cinder chuckle.
"That's right. Well… when Raven left and Valravn came after the two of you… he tried to take control. Started killing anyone who was still loyal to Raven instead if him… he tried to kill me, Oscar and Vernal… and Amber. I snapped… and I started to attack them all to kill him, the Tribe fractured. Some ran the rest fought against me… they left me no choice. I killed them all… I hope the ones who ran made it. But after I finished them all off… I saw Salem's Army, and they ran right into it." Cinder explained, Ruby closed her eyes with grief. "He and that friend of his, Flynt. They tried to get away with Raven's Treasury, but I stopped them, and we killed them both. I used that Treasury to buy us some land to live a more… legal and peaceful life. And it was beautiful… until Pyrrha." Cinder sighed.
"I'm sorry… but don't blame her, okay?" Ruby asked. "The girl has been through enough." Ruby explained.
"I don't blame her… not really… but gods does she piss me off from time to time." Cinder admitted.
"Something is off, this is nothing like Pyrrha. She was never like this." Ruby stated.
"She died, lost the man she loved and believed that everyone she loved was dead… then was resurrected by the God of Darkness." Cinder explained, Ruby's eyes widened.
"Whoa, what?" Ruby asked.
"Eh… ask Oz." She spoke.
"OZ?" Ruby questioned again.
"Ugh… Oscar… the Professor is in his head? I don't get how it all works, okay? Just ask him…" Cinder explained, Ruby was left dumbfounded by that revelation, especially at how little information Cinder was able to give. But she shook it off and continued to follow the path, but as they walked, something hit Ruby.
"Wait, how did you know about Valravn capturing us?" Ruby asked the Fall Maiden.
"Well… Raven told me. She tracked me down and spoke to me, told me that this was going to be our last conversation. She told me about what went down in the Wildlands… the truth of what happened to your mom." Cinder explained. "I'm sorry… by the way."
"Thanks…" Ruby softly said, still thinking about that damn letter that Qrow left her.
"By the way… what… happened? To Raven? Qrow and Jackdaw? Valravn?" Cinder asked, the two of them stood at the edge of the curving cliff, gazing out at the landscape. Ruby looked at the Fall Maiden and she closed her eyes. Remembering it all so well…
"She found them all, my dad too… and they saved us. We didn't stick around long but… a few weeks later we came back and found what was left of them." Ruby explained. "They killed Valravn… but it looked like Jackdaw killed them and Qrow killed him too. They were all dead… we buried them nearby." Ruby assured, and Cinder nodded her head. She cared a lot for Raven, she saved her life after all, and helped her become better.
"Good… they deserved to be buried." Cinder said as she nodded her head.
"It was my dad's idea. I guess even he could find some sort of forgiveness for them despite what they did to his wife… to our mom." Ruby explained, she clenched her hands into a fist. "But if I saw either of them today, I'd kill them in a heartbeat."
Cinder's eye widened when she heard that. "That's not the Ruby Rose I remember…"
Ruby stopped and looked back at her.
"I don't take chances anymore."
Cinder nodded her head in agreement. "And you shouldn't."
The two walked together with Penny, eventually arriving at the Abandoned Town where they fought Hazel and Tyrian. The sign that hung from the Bar squeaked as it swung back and forth. The door was swinging open as well, ever so slightly as the draft pushed against it. The roof creaked as the damaged wood hung above, some planks had fallen onto the other tables inside after their fight.
And sat at the bar… was Pyrrha.
She had a tumbler in front of her, filled with what looked like Scotch. Next to it was the full bottle, only recently opened. Ruby always kept her hands close to Black Thorn, but she knew Pyrrha wouldn't hurt them, no matter how low she may be right now. "Pyrrha?" Ruby spoke up, and Pyrrha immediately answered.
"Who's with you?" Pyrrha asked.
"Penny and Cinder." Ruby answered.
Pyrrha scoffed. "Great… the girl I killed and the girl who tried to kill me."
Ruby looked at the two of them and they stayed back whilst Ruby approached her, standing right beside her. She looked at the glass and then at Pyrrha. "How many of them have you had?" Ruby asked.
"Not enough…" She sighed. "Never did like the taste of alcohol… but right now… I don't taste anything. So, who cares?"
Pyrrha drank the scotch fast and she hardly even reacted, before she filled it back up, staring at the glass. Cinder walked around the bar and she rested her hands on it, looking at her. "Let's finish this back at the Claim, huh? It's not safe out here." She said, but Pyrrha just glared back at her with her tense emerald eyes.
Cinder did return the glare.
"She's right. And believe me, I know how you feel right now, Pyrrha. You lost the man you loved… one of my best friends… I still think about him every day. About all the things I should have said, things I should have done differently. But that? That ain't gonna help… just come back with us and we can talk with you about it, okay?" Ruby asked and Pyrrha continued to stare at the glass.
"We need you, Pyrrha." Penny softly said as she leant against the bar as well.
"What can I do? I couldn't protect Jaune… or Sun… or Neptune. I couldn't save anyone. Everyone called me The Invincible Girl… the One Who Never Failed… but look at me. I ripped Penny apart… and I couldn't even save the one person who saw me for who I really was. I started to believe that something like the Vytal Consensus could protect us… but that was a sham. A bait and switch." Pyrrha explained, shaking her head with tears in her eyes. "I was a fool, Ruby… I see that now."
"You believed there was a way out. One where people didn't have to die. It's not your fault you held out for hope, Pyrrha." Ruby stated, which made her smile slightly, but Ruby knew that smile was not out of fondness.
"Hope." She scoffed. "When I first met you and Jaune… I'll admit I thought you were both just a pair of charming buffoons, but out there in the Emerald Forest I saw who you both truly were. Leaders, people who could inspire that hope to others… something I could never do. Until the Atlesian Wildlands… and I saw both of you lose hope. Jaune in the idea that our past choices could be forgiven and forgotten… and in you. Because I saw your innocence be stripped away – and that hero I saw was gone. And I still see it in your face now." Pyrrha explained, and Ruby closed her eyes with regret.
The Atlesian Wildlands… the event there was going to scar this family forever.
"There is no hope for any of us… Salem has won. And there's nothing we can do to stop her… not a damn thing." Pyrrha softly said.
The three of them walked to the door and they softly spoke to each other. "I dunno if this is gonna work, Ruby… she is in a really rough place. I dunno if words are gonna cut it." Cinder said.
"Then what do we do? Just wait until she passes out?" Penny asked.
"Just go." Pyrrha answered, clearly hearing every word. "Just go!"
"We're not leaving you here, Pyrrha. You'll freeze to death up here in seconds, the Summit is the only safe haven there is." Ruby stated, which made her scoff.
"Just like how Beacon Academy was Remnant's Beacon of Hope?"
Ruby walked back towards her slowly. "So that's your plan then? Gonna just… drink yourself to death? How the hell does that honour Jaune's memory?" Ruby challenged angrily, Pyrrha gritted her teeth and bolted up from her stool.
"Don't you fucking talk about him like you have a right to!" She yelled, pointing in Ruby's face. "You betrayed us all! Not just Weiss and Blake but me and Jaune too! You turned Ren and Nora against us and destroyed the only real family we ever had!" She yelled.
"Ren and Nora chose their side just like you chose yours!" Ruby yelled back.
"There shouldn't have ever been a side! You should have talked to us all! To your team! You were their leader!" Pyrrha erupted.
"WELL, I'M HERE NOW! Aren't I?" Ruby roared, eyes glowing silver for a few moments before she calmed down. Pyrrha fell silent as she stared back, like she was lost for words… but then she spoke again.
"Yes… at long last. There's hope for all of us." She sarcastically snarked before sitting back down onto her stool. Ruby reached down into her bag and she held Jaune's Snapped Crocea Mors, running her thumb across its blade, before glancing at her again.
"Come on… just come back… to Ren and Nora. They want to see you." Ruby begged her, but she shoved her away.
"You still don't get it do you? You weren't there… you didn't see what I saw on that day. What Weiss and Blake saw?" Pyrrha began. "Back before we knew what Salem was really capable of, I had hope that we could beat her. Because I didn't realise that she couldn't be killed by anything. And even then… I still had hope that we could win. That she could be killed! But when Cardin smashed her head apart with his Mace, and she just kept coming and ripped them apart… that was the moment I knew. Nothing could kill her… she was in the heart of the explosion Jaune set off… and she walked out of it like nothing happened. She was inside of Beacon Tower when it collapsed… and she walked out completely untouched. That was when I realised how foolish we had all been, to think we could beat her! We were kids! What did we know about anything? We're up against… a God… a Monster. And I know… everyone knows the same thing that I know…"
They all stayed silent.
"Like I said… there is no hope for any of us." Pyrrha said, slowly shuffling back towards her Glass. Ruby looked at her and then she just shook her head.
"You're wrong. You're dead wrong, there." She assured, then Ruby leant beside Pyrrha once more. "The truth? The truth is that the world is the same as it has always been. Salem isn't some monster who appeared out of nowhere… we always knew that she existed. And the strong are still preying on the weak to survive, nothing there has changed. Yeah, sure the scenery has changed, the Grimm act more like a Police Force now than wild monsters… but the Black Gallows are still controlling everything. It didn't seem hopeless before, did it? No… we just pushed on, either for ourselves or for the people we love and love us." Ruby explained. "And you may think this is just my ridiculous optimism at play here… but I know there is a way to kill Salem. I have never asked Jinn that question yet, simply because I knew Salem would know I would ask it. She always knows whenever I use the Relic… but that fact alone is enough for me. She is scared of the fact I have the Lamp… because Jinn can show us the way."
Pyrrha looked at Ruby and then at Penny who just nodded her head, filled with not just undying love… but also undying trust in Ruby and her plan. "So, if you wanna honour Jaune's name? Let's the bitch down who took him from us."
Cinder couldn't help but smile at that because that sounded so badass. Pyrrha drank the last of her shot, before turning it over and setting it down on the table. Ruby smiled and patted her on the shoulder and they turned to leave.
"Holy shit… look what we have here." A man said, Cinder and Penny swiftly drew their weapons, forming them either out of Grave Dust or from Thin Air. He held out his hands with his heavier friend beside him. "Whoa, whoa! It's okay… we're not here to cause any trouble." He assured as he walked in with her, and she sat down on one of the stools as well.
"Whoa… Valerian Biker Scotch? Been a while since I've seen the good stuff." She said as she eyed up the bottle.
Ruby glanced at it and she smiled. "You want some?" Ruby asked politely.
"Oh, that would be swell, ma'am." She answered with a smile.
"I'm Neil, that scrawny pal of mine is Candice. She loves Candy." Neil joked, which made Candice raise a brow.
"I swear I'll shoot you one day." Candice laughed.
"Hey who knows, maybe we'll shoot each other." Neil also laughed, and Ruby set down the glass and filled it up for him before doing the same for Candice.
"I'm Sarah, this is Amber, Francesca and Naomi." Ruby lied, swiftly coming up with some fake names. Something she had learned to do whenever it came to speaking to strangers, especially ones who turned up out of nowhere like this. They both wore large buffy jackets to keep them warm.
"Where're you two from? I noticed your accents if you couldn't tell." Ruby chuckled as she sat down.
"That obvious, huh? Yeah, we're originally from Vacuo, been travelling around ever since that place started to get worse. Wanted to get out of there before the Drought got even worse." Neil explained.
"Yeah, you have no idea how bad it is there. The news doesn't even come close to showing it." Candice said.
"Gods… I'm so sorry." Penny softly said. Ruby filled up one of the glasses for herself and gestured to Cinder who nodded. Penny of course couldn't drink. Neil glanced at Pyrrha.
"What about you? Have one?" Neil asked her.
"I just quit." She assured.
"You have a unique sense of timing, Naomi." Neil joked.
"Yeah… she lost someone today. Someone really close to her." Ruby covered, and Neil looked saddened by the news.
"I'm really sorry to hear that. To new days and better friends… I hope who you lost is resting well up there." He said as he raised his glass, everyone who had one did – and Penny despite not having one copied the gesture anyway. He reached over the table, and in the process showed off his holstered gun… and Black Gallows Grade Electrified Restrainer. Ruby glared right at them, and he noticed her.
He smiled and took them both off, showing them. "Pretty cool, right? Out on our travels… we came across some dead Stockholm Troopers. With all the Grimm out there… or lunatics… thought it'd be safer to have something to defend ourselves, right?" He said, Ruby nodded her head.
"Yeah… pretty cool." Ruby agreed. Ruby could feel the eyes glaring at them from Candice, she glanced at her, but Candice looked away.
"You two are a long way from Vacuo." Cinder chimed in, just as suspicious of them as Ruby was.
"Feels like we're a long way from anywhere." Neil answered.
"Well, what made you climb all the way up here?" Cinder inquired as she took a sip of her glass.
"Well, I can promise you it wasn't the temperature, I swear to the Gods I must have frostbitten feet by now." Candice joked, which made Pyrrha chuckle.
"We've been looking for work all over. Candice has been my partner in crime ever since, bounced from place to place. Started off in Vale, seeing what work was there. Had nothing really, but we heard they needed some strong hands up in Atlas. Heard a lot of other stories too." Neil explained, scratching the back of his neck.
"What kind of things?" Ruby asked.
"Well, we heard stories. People wanting to rise up against Salem again, starting up militias to try and fight against the Black Gallows. People coming back from the dead, even about a place near here. Called Kuchinashi, heard it got badly smashed up when some Rogue Huntress went crazy and started burning the place down. Like something from some horror movie, you see these days." Neil chuckled; Penny looked increasingly concerned.
Ruby was starting to put the pieces together. "So… where are you four at? I mean… this town is hardly liveable, and it's a big mountain. Must be some place we can find work here, right?" Candice curiously asked as she walked across the room to the wall, leaning against it.
"Any Mines? Job Postings? Bounties? Anything like that?" Neil asked curiously.
"If you wanna find anything like that I'd recommend heading down to Mistral. More likely to find some good stuff there." Ruby assured.
"Sure… sure… but why are you four here? Said your friend here lost someone she cared about, right? You must be somewhere good… makeup… looking real pretty and all that. Can't be out on the road like us grunts." Neil stated, and Ruby glared at him. "Is it true what they say? About the Summit's Claim? Is it really up there?"
"Heard there's some beautiful Eagles there too." Candice said.
"And the Women? The stories always said the women were drop dead gorgeous… I wouldn't be surprised if the four of you came from there." Neil said, Ruby's glare never changed, staring straight into his eyes. "So… why don't you come and help us out, huh? Take us to the Claim?"
"We've said enough." Ruby put her foot down.
"Well, come on Sarah, think about it. We're cool, aren't we cool, Candice?" Neil asked.
"Oh, cooler than an Atlesian in the Winter." Candice answered.
"We can work together, make some huge cash." Neil suggested.
"I'm sorry that's not an option." Ruby assured, staring him down.
"D-Doesn't sound like it would be a problem." He retorted.
"I'm sorry, we're not interested." Pyrrha politely said.
"We're getting by just fine on our own." Ruby stated, Neil chuckled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Wow… you ladies are something else. Y'know I thought we were friends." He laughed.
"We don't know anything about you." Cinder reminded, with a bit of a growl in her voice.
"Well, that's true. You don't know a lick about us… you don't know about the things we've had to do to survive in Salem's New World. And judging by your face… Miss Rose… you've had to do some of those things yourself, am I right?" The gig was up, they both knew the whole time and were just trying to play along. "Ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this screwed up world… we're all the same… and we're all trying to get by as best we can."
"You're after our bounties." Ruby deduced.
"Afraid so, Ruby. Pyrrha Nikos, Penny Polendina and Cinder Fall… incredible how you have come back from the dead Invincible Girl." Neil said as he walked away from the table and moved towards the bar, vaulting over it and landing on the other side. Ruby stood up calmly, standing between them. "But there is a pretty hefty price on your heads… I promise you this isn't personal."
"How did you find us?" Ruby questioned, and Neil gestured to Cinder and Pyrrha.
"Saw them moving up the mountain, thought we'd follow. Who'd have thought we'd run into two more wanted ladies in the process?" Neil chuckled as he stroked the handle of his pistol. Ruby swiftly moved her hands to the Holstered Black Thorn Volcanic Pistols. But she heard Candice ready her Black Gallows Restrainer which could immediately drop Ruby with its charge. "Now… the price is to bring you in either dead or alive, but we're not dumb. We know the four of you are tough as nails. But we can bring you in alive if you prefer. We have our cables if you try anything." He said, revealing the Bracers which had the Coils loaded, and Candice had two as well. One for each of them.
"We would very much like to get that Sixty Million without getting messed up in the process, thanks." Candice stated.
"You don't wanna try this, just walk away." Ruby warned.
"Sorry, honey. We're done surviving on pennies… and if getting more blood on our hands helps us survive? Then we'll do it. So, the choice is yours." Neil stated. "Surely you understand?"
"Yeah… I do. But I'm afraid you're gonna have to find a better job, because we're not going anywhere with you." Ruby stated.
"Keep looking, huh? Where do you suppose we do that?" He asked.
"I don't know. I hear Menagerie's got a growing market these days." Ruby shrugged.
"Menagerie." Neil laughed. "This chick…"
Ruby moved faster than light, he went to fire his cables, but Ruby was quicker, slashing Black Thorn across his throat so deep that his head was thrown across the bar and into the wall, and she spun around and fired her Volcanic Pistol directly through Candice's skull. Her brains splattered across the wall and she slumped onto the ground.
Both Pyrrha and Cinder stared with shocked eyes, Cinder was still in the middle of forming her Obsidian Axe, and Penny squeezed her eyes shut with grief for Ruby… having to take more lives. Ruby stood over their dead bodies and blood pooled out around them and she spun Black Thorn through her fingers and holstered them. She turned to Cinder who stared at her.
"I don't take chances… anymore." Ruby reminded, before she walked away. The three of them stood there as Ruby pushed the doors open and kept walking. They eventually followed her, making their way back home. Pyrrha followed them as they walked back towards the Mountain Path, completely unaware of what was watching.
Stood on the rocks behind them, watching from above, was Icarus.
He chuckled sinisterly as he stood there, spinning his Khopeshes through his fingers. With Adam beside him, grasping onto Wilt and Blush, smirking as he was ready to spill some blood. Alongside one Praetorian Knight, and a small army of Modified Grimm, ones designed to survive this high up in the Mountain.
Including the same Nuckelavee that killed Ren's Mother and destroyed Kuroyuri. It snarled and the Imp groaned savagely.
Icarus opened his mechanical wings.
"Let's begin."
Author Note - Here we go...
Icarus has found them, shit is about to go down at the Summit's Claim. Let's hope that Robyn and the Happy Huntresses can help them in time. This was a fun chapter to write (sorry it took a while though XD), showing Terra dealing with what is happening is quite fun. And of course, her poor mother has passed away. At least she can rest easily now, but that part between her and Killian was quite tense. Although... Killian mate... you can't expect her to forgive you after what you did. But his parting words still send chills down my spine for some reason XD
Robyn and the Happy Huntresses were a fun section too, learning more and more about the Grave Dust, and now having a good lead on how to gain access to the Black Queen Virus. They just need to get Penny to Pietro so he can not only save her from it, but also find the Original Footage from the U.G.R Slaughter back in Act 2. That footage could change everything... but if they are not careful... could even start a war amongst themselves. Which is not what they want. And of course, the Venator was great fun to right. Creepy as hell and got a pretty funny death
And... my favourite part. Writing a Pyrrha Nikos who is this angry is such an interesting challenge when keeping her in character, whilst making it not look normal at the same time. But let's hope she is on the path to recovery now she has a goal (unaware of course that Jaune is in fact "alive" XD). And that part with Ruby and the Bounty Hunters? I love writing a Ruby who is not naïve to what people are like anymore, and was ready to kill them as soon as they tried something. Even Cinder was shocked.
And now... Icarus is back.
Things are about to get chaotic!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - Battle of the Summit's Claim
- Matt