RWBY: Dual Eclipse
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Scene Change
Chapter 23: Unfamiliar
"Oh shit!" One of the roving bandits screamed in sheer terror, right before a glove-clad fist buried itself in his stomach, knocking all breath and consciousness from his body. He slumped to the ground about one second later.
"Not them again!" Another one tried to fire at the one that was currently knocking them all for a loop.
Each bullet whizzed by the other party, and for a brief second it appeared as though the bullets were actively curving around the target, as if unwilling to actively harm them. The sheer disbelief at what she saw froze her in shock, which was repaid in kind with a kick to the side of her head, slamming her to the ground and robbing her of consciousness.
This next bandit, feeling particularly brave, tried to backstab the figure, but it probably would've had a better chance of working had she not yelled out. Her knife-hand was caught, and with the application of a kick to the sternum followed by an heeldrop to the head, she was out.
One by one, the bandits fell unconscious. Standing victoriously over them was the white-clad figure that went by the name of "Azura".
Azura flicked their Scroll out, and quickly sent a message to the Mistral police that were stationed out near Higanbana, even sending a few images for good measure. A few minutes later, several officers showed up to lock the bandits away.
Azura was long gone by this point. As the bandits were locked away within the detainment vehicles, two of the officers quickly compared notes.
"Ninth time this week... whoever is doing this works frightening fast."
"Hey, don't knock it. Made our work a hell of a lot easier."
"Still, someone unlicensed knocking these bandits out..."
"Hey, wasn't something like this also happening in Vale?"
Unbeknownst to either officer, a crimson-eyed corvid had been watching the battle and subsequent arrest of the bandits. Once the officers' vehicles were long out of sight, it took off for elsewhere.
Mistral Outskirts
6:41 P.M. Mistrali Time
Azura took a quick look around the area, mostly to make certain nobody had tailed them in secret. Suit wasn't showing any other life signs too close-by, and nobody else was in sight. Taking a specific alleyway, they pressed the large crimson V on their belt, and with a small flash of light the white suit faded away.
Standing there was a woman of 5'9", with dark brown hair that reached down to her neck and a slightly tan skin complexion. With the suit gone, she was now clad in what could be best described as a loose, dark blue tanktop and matching shorts with white trim. Black shoes with crossing grey stripes completed the ensemble.
Fishing a key from her back pocket, she unlocked the door to an out of the way domicile and entered.
"Hey, Aggie, I'm back." She called out, and for a moment it was quiet. '...she's normally never this quiet. Did Aggie head out as well?'
Closing the door behind her, she stepped into the living room, which was furnished with a two-seat sofa and a small holo-TV. Crossing over to the kitchen, she opened up the fridge to grab one of her favorite chilled drinks. She bent down to have an easier reach towards the back of a lower shelf-
"Eeep!" Only to immediately straighten up as the sensation of a hand swatting her rear registered. She whirled around on the spot to face whomever had just swatted her rear end... aquamarine eyes locking onto someone she knew all too well. "Dammit Aggie! Do you have to do that EVERY TIME?!"
Standing there with one of the biggest shit-eating grins on her face was a woman not much younger than Azura. She stood about an inch shorter, and had dirty white hair that one would swear had the faintest hint of light blonde in the correct lighting. She had green eyes that were alight with mischief, and a skin complexion about a shade or two darker than Azura's. To round off her appearance, she was clad in a white blouse with a dark green skirt that had gold lining around it edges; she was lacking shoes and socks, but this was due to her remaining indoors.
"But with such a tempting target, who could resist!" In response, Azura could only let loose a sigh that was a mixture of resignation and annoyance.
"...remind me how we're still friends again."
"But enough about me-" The one known as Aggie zipped right up to Azura, getting a bit uncomfortably close. "-who did you run into today?"
"...you mean aside from the usual gang of bandits?" Aggie just stared, unnerving the older woman. "...you probably wouldn't believe this, but there's a Netherworld Demon here on Remnant."
"Wait, really?!" Aggie had a look on amazement on her face. "But how'd they find this place?"
"It was just one, from what the suit readings told me. He seemed a fairly decent sort - remember those high profile theft cases in Vale?"
"What about 'em?"
"Seems the demon was the one bringing down the thieves... though he did mention having assistance."
"Huh, weird... what was he doing all the way out here, though?"
"One of the messages I've been trying to send out to the TDF was intercepted by his Scroll, so he came looking around for clues. Betting he already headed back by now."
Vale, The Base
1:45 P.M. Vale Time
"File recovery's done." Epsilon announced as Nelius put some more notes into his journal. "Still, to think the Unlosing Ranger would be here, of all places in the Cosmos?"
"And the messages imply they've been here for a bit longer than we have." Nelius pointed out. "That said, they could prove a useful ally if things with Salem start to go tits-up... assuming they're not using those powers to cause trouble."
"Unless the suit has some ability to suppress negativity, I'd wager the Unlosing Ranger's still firmly a good guy. We ought to pay them another visit in the near future and compare some notes."
Finishing up his notes, Nelius put his journal away. Now came figuring out what to do next.
Ozpin and Ironwood had yet to contact him about whatever next idea they had next, so it would be safe to assume that Cinder hadn't made a move so far. Criminal activity was non-existent, so nothing to worry about there.
He opened up his Scroll, checking whatever Grimm extermination jobs were available.
"Hey, now that I think on it, made any progress on understanding that program?"
"For the most part, it's gone dormant. I've been trying to crack it open, but whoever made it really covered their bases. I imagine it'll take a bit longer before I got it figured out."
Once more, the Dual Diver began to silently activate of its own accord... this time, selecting two new targets.
Atlas Academy
2:01 P.M.
James got up from his seat, taking this moment to stretch out. Ozpin had left the call a few minutes ago to further think on the idea he had created.
This idea the Beacon Headmaster had was a wild one, but perhaps something off the usual cuff would be something that could tip the scales back into his favor. Yet, at the same time, there was still much to think on.
Leonardo was undoubtedly compromised based on what Qrow had managed to find hiding away in his office, and while Fang activity had come to a halt, it only made him more wary of whatever they could try to do next. Adding in the fact that Cinder had been hiding under their noses at Beacon only added onto that pile.
His Scroll chimed, indicating that someone was calling. He took a look at whom was calling, and immediately chose to answer.
"Specialist Schnee." Winter appeared on the screen.
"General. All preparations for the bodyguard shift are complete. Amity Arena's transportation to Vale is on schedule to begin at the end of the week."
"Excellent." He was silent for a moment, contemplating something.
"General? Is there something else?"
"Do you have a moment? There is something I'd like to discuss with you in private."
"Understood, sir. I'm on my way." As the call terminated, James had to think on how he was going to word this to her. A part of his mind was on the proverbial fence about going through with this.
About two minutes later, a knock resounded from his door.
"Enter." The door opened, and Winter stepped in, closing said door behind her.
"You wished to speak with me, sir?"
"Take a seat. What I'm about to discuss cannot leave this office."
Winter did so, curious as to what the General had on his mind.
Warship Yoshitsuna; Raphael's Dreamscape
Unknown Time
Once more, Raphael had settled off to sleep, fully expecting "Hadiya" to contact him once more.
It had taken a few hours, but eventually the dreamscape began to change back to the floating islands.
"Hello again, Hadiya." Raphael greeted the spirit.
"Greetings once more." Hadiya responded, appearing in front of the Celestian as little more than a floating sphere that was tinged with some blue. "You were waiting for me?"
"Of course. You said you were seeking a character that we were also pursuing."
"Indeed." The spirit was quiet for a moment. "You might not believe this, but I was once an Overlord."
"An Overlord, huh... how did you meet your end, if I might ask?"
"My Dimensional Gatekeeper had taken notice of a strange set of coordinates being sent to him, as if someone or something was inviting us. Deciding to err on the side of caution, I took some of my best vassals with me to investigate." There was a slight pause, as Hadiya took a moment to correctly word her next statement. "Upon investigating an old shrine at the center of the coordinates, there was a bright flash of light... and then I was alone."
"Alone? Were you blinded or frozen in time?"
"At first I had thought only the former had happened, but then I learned... I had my soul forcibly ripped from my body, and just from the traces of the magic I knew something vile had done so. After the initial shock had worn off, I had to hop between worlds, silently riding alongside other demons and even a few Celestials to find my way home, and find what had happened to my body."
"What was the damage?"
"A vile presence had taken over my body, and within a little over three years that presence had effectively run my hard-earned Overlordship into the ground. My closest confidant had become little more than a hardlined brown-noser, and many of the vassals I had were choosing to leave. I tried to reach out to them, but they were deaf to my pleas. You were the first being I've run into that actually acknowledged my presence."
"Very odd... this is something of a stretch to consider, but perhaps that being cursed your soul so that those still in its employ would be unable to see you?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, hence why I needed to find those outside its influence."
Beacon Dorms
10:02 P.M.
Ruby had been getting a little antsy.
Normally, whenever she had a little free time aside from homework and leadership duties, she'd occasionally try to message her uncle, but he had been incommunicado these past few weeks.
She had messaged a few of her classmates from Signal, and those that hadn't been expressing jealousy of her skpping ahead two years to attend Beacon early had stated that Qrow was still teaching there.
However, as of the past few days he seemed... disconnected, agitated at something. Of course, he never took it out on the students or other faculty, but they could tell that something weighed heavily on his mind.
A few messages with her father had revealed that even he had little to no luck getting in touch with Qrow.
However, with as late as it was, trying to mull over this anymore would merely be an exercise in futility. She had left enough messages as is... when he was ready to talk, he'd message her back.
Closing her Scroll down, she tried to settle into bed and get some sleep for tomorrow... tried being the operative word, as the thoughts of her uncle seeming rather upset would keep her awake for a good while.
When sleep finally did claim her...
Ruby Rose's Dreamscape
Unknown Time
"Huh?" Ruby found herself in a familiar location.
Her home, on Patch. Everything she remembered was here... her father's flowerbed out front, the old stump that Zwei claimed as a napping spot, even the tree that Yang that punched a chunk out of during one of her sparring sessions with their father.
She entered her house, and while all of the amenities she had come to know were here, her father, sister and even her dog were all missing, without so much as a trace.
It all felt too real, like she hadn't even fallen asleep in her bed at Beacon... but at the same time, she would've sworn there was more color than this. Everything looked to be muted, drab, like someone had merely done a greyscale instead of a full-color illustration.
"Where'd all the color go?" She wondered aloud, hearing little else other than her voice echo back to her. "Yang?" Silence answered her. "Dad? Zwei? Uncle Qrow?"
There was nothing here, and it was beginning to unnerve the silver-eyed girl.
Scratch that. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw movement, and as she turned to meet it she moved to draw Crescent Rose-
"Oh no..." Try as she might to look around, her signature weapon was not on her person. "This is bad! Really bad!" What if a Grimm decided to get close? Maybe she really should've taken those hand-to-hand lessons from Yang after all!
"...Ruby..." A female's voice whispered back to her. "...Ruby... you must..."
"Who's there!?" Ruby was already on-edge, having been deprived of her custom-made weapon. She did not want to go chasing a voice... even if that voice sounded kinda familiar to her. "Nope! Gonna stay right here..."
"Ruby..."
"No way. Not gonna follow some disembodied voice." At that, the voice began to... chuckle? Now Ruby was even more confused than before.
"Still wanting to hide behind Crescent Rose." That got Ruby's attention. "You can't hide forever. Time is not on our side..."
"What? Who-"
Without warning, the dreamscape faded away.
Beacon Dorms
10:56 P.M.
As Ruby's eyes flew open, on the other side of the dorms' floor Emerald found herself similarly unable to sleep. Cinder had been notoriously tight-lipped about whatever was bothering her as of late, and while it hadn't yet hampered their team dynamics...
'Likely her lost chance at getting the Fall Maiden's powers...' The thief bitterly thought to herself. Sure, the ability to fling the elements around without needing Aura was cool and all, but why was Cinder so focused on getting that power for herself? What made it so vital for them to obtain such powers that Cinder was willing to assault a girl around her own age and rub shoulders with the likes of Torchwick and Neo?
She knew she couldn't voice such concerns aloud, lest Cinder repeat those three words to her once again.
"Don't think - Obey." Her mind had already registered the words, but the last one was delivered in a venomous tone, one that Emerald hadn't heard since she tried to question why Mercury was drafted.
'We owe Cinder our life.' One part of her brain argued. The streets weren't a suitable place for a child without parents to grow up. Day in and out, it was always scraping for food and avoiding the local law enforcement. She had lost count of the number of times she had to out-maneuver any creepy people that saw her as an easy target.
Awakening to her Semblance had been one of the best days of her life. With it, she was able to sneak by people and take what she needed to survive... no more having to forage for mere table scraps. However, she had begun to learn of its limitations quickly. Two minds would begin to strain her ability to make them see and hear what she wanted them to, and security cameras would never be fooled by it.
Yes... she certainly owed Cinder for giving her what she had always wanted... a life off the streets.
'But is this what you need?' A new voice popped into her head, startling her. It was nothing like any she had ever heard before. 'Can you say with any clear conscience this is what you really desire?'
Emerald looked around the darkened dorm room, but saw nothing... no one else that implied a new presence. Mercury was already asleep, Neo couldn't speak, and Cinder wouldn't play at this kind of mind game... would she?
'Ugh, keep it together.' She berated herself as she tried to get to sleep... but it would continue to elude her for quite some time.
The Base
Friday, September 23, 9:41 A.M.
"...it happened again." Nelius, upon firing up the Dual Diver to do a quick check on the systems, noticed that another Soul Dive had been registered. This one's registration was clocked in around 10:48 P.M. the previous night.
"Hey, I know we thought this was due to a combination of factors..." Epsilon had a thought, "...but what if the parts we grew are also playing a part in this weirdness?"
"Well, we did tell Ozpin that Netherworld matters are hardly cut and dry. We'll just have to sort this out."
Bringing up the log, he began to look through it, trying to find a name.
"What the... says there were two targets for this dive, but I only see one name registered." He rotated his left hand so the eye on its back could allow Epsilon to see.
"Who's Ruby Rose?"
"No idea, but if she was the one targeted by a Soul Dive, then there's no doubt she's going to be experiencing a lot of self-questioning, depending on what she dealt with."
To that end, Nelius opened his Scroll up and immediately got working on a message.
Sender: Nelius Raoul
Subject: Dual Diver Target
Ozpin, might you know of an individual named "Ruby Rose"? The Dual Diver's logs state that she had been targeted for a Soul Dive, much like what had happened with you those few days ago.
In case you're wondering, both Epsilon and I have done several diagnostic checks, and so far there's no signs of it being hijacked by another party.
He sent the message, and prepared to wait. He didn't have to wait very long, as his Scroll beeped, indicating a reply had come in at record pace.
Sender: Headmaster Ozpin
Subject: Re: Dual Diver Target
Miss Ruby Rose is one my students here at Beacon Academy, though why would your machine have chosen to target her?
Nelius quickly tapped out a response.
Sender: Nelius Raoul
Subject: Re: re: Dual Diver Target
That's what we're still trying to figure out. At present, we surmise it's either a side-effect of what sent us here in the first place, or something on Remnant is using it to reach out to us. Worst-case scenario is a mix of both, especially since what sent us here hasn't shown any real finite control.
About two minutes after the message was sent, Ozpin finally replied.
Sender: Headmaster Ozpin
Subject: Re: re: re: Dual Diver Target
I see. In such a case, I have been having private talks with Ironwood about that Diver of yours, and if it can improve Semblances it may be a decisive edge that could be used in what's to come. Might we have an opportunity to discuss more soon?
Sender: Nelius Raoul
Subject: Re: re: re: re: Dual Diver Target
Certainly. Just send me a time that works with you both and we'll be there.
Closing down his Scroll's messaging app for the moment, Nelius got back to checking on the Dual Diver. Epsilon took this opportunity to check for any interesting worldwide news on the CCT.
'Here's one... someone in Vacuo is tearing through the Grimm wholesale... people swear they saw a flash of blue and red before a nest of Blind Worms was completely eradicated down to the last Grimm... huh, someone's been busy.'
The article had a video file, but due to the sandstorm much of the picture and audio was of little use in identifying whomever was depicted. While blue and red were seen here and there, it could've been anyone.
A voice could be heard, but due to the winds it was far too faint to accurately pinpoint. Epsilon decided to try and isolate it as best she could, then find a possible match within her data-banks.
Beacon Academy, Cafeteria
12:14 P.M.
"Ruby?" Yang had noticed her sister's somewhat sluggish motion throughout the first few classes... and now she was hardly touching her food. Granted, Beacon's cafeteria stock could have used some touching up, but that was hardly related to this.
"..." Ruby herself was silent, as if trying to parse something out. Her eyes were unfocused, almost dull in a way. To say that Yang was highly concerned would be the equivalent of saying you'd get wet if tossed into the ocean. Not even a poke to the cheek or passing a strawberry and chocolate-chip cookie beneath her nose was enough to bring the young scythe-wielder out of her thoughts.
"Still like that, huh?" Blake had returned to their group with her own tray of food, noticing her team leader still having a hundred-yard stare.
Weiss was about to exit the line, having gotten her food, but she too had noticed her team leader's unusual lethargy. Some part of her mind was thinking to get the school nurse if this continued.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Emerald found herself in a similar stupor, albeit for different reasons.
She could faintly hear Mercury saying something, but with the general noise of the cafeteria it was hard to make out what he was saying... knowing him, it was likely another smart-ass remark. Had to have run in his blood or something.
Neo, or Noir as she was known here, idly watched as Emerald looked to be questioning things internally. Truth be told, there were other things she wanted to do, but she had another three hours of hanging out with them before she could get to doing what she wanted to do. Whatever issues Emerald had with Cinder were hers to sort through. She wasn't gonna pull the pin on that Dust Grenade.
Chapter 23: Complete