I remember in one of the V4 WoR that it was mentioned that Anima was filled with swampland's. I thought it would be neat to see RNPR go through one while making their way to Mistral. Hope you enjoy!
Nora crossed her arms under her poncho, the rain pattering against her. Mud splashed as she trudged alongside Ren. Ruby was walking ahead of them, Pyrrha trailing behind. The gnarled branches of the trees around them offered little protection as the rain poured down. The muddy ground was surrounded by large pools of ink black water. She grimaced as the scent of rotten eggs drifted past them.
She looked back at Pyrrha, water dripping onto her face. Pyrrha was staring ahead, her eyes unfocused, her wet hair sticking to her face. Her armor was soaked, her scarf clinging to her. Nora cocked an eyebrow.
"You sure you don't want your poncho?" Nora asked. Pyrrha shook her head. Nora shrugged, and looked ahead. Ruby wasn't wearing a poncho either, her cloak wrapped around her and her hood pulled up. Nora groaned, resting her head on Ren's arm as they walked. "How much farther?"
"At this pace, just a few more hours." Nora groaned louder.
"Where are we going anyway?" Nora asked.
"If the map is right, Yami village is the only village in the Blackwater Bog." Nora gave Ren an odd look.
"Yami? Who names their village that?" Ren shrugged.
Ruby looked back at them, Nora saw her hands moving around beneath her cloak.
"What's it mean?"
"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it. It just sounds silly in Common." Nora said. Ruby shrugged and turned back to the muddy road. They continued on in silence for quite some time, the only sound the squish of their shoes against the mud, the croaking of frogs, and the rain as it drenched everything around them.
"Hey Nora?" Ruby asked. Nora perked up.
"Yeah?" Ruby seemed to hesitate.
"Why do you and Pyrrha have different names?" Nora blinked.
"What?"
"I mean, why are your names so…different? From everyone else we've met in Mistral?"
"Oh! Well, uh." She glanced back at Pyrrha. Pyrrha sighed.
"After the Great War, a lot of people were without homes. A lot of people from certain Kingdoms immigrated to new ones. My family was originally from Vale before they had to move here to Mistral." Pyrrha flicked her scarf behind her, water spraying as it swung. "Didn't you ever think to ask why Yang's name was so different than yours?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby nodded.
"I did when I was younger, but I thought that was just my dad's family, I never really thought about it." Ruby looked over at her. "Where was your family from originally, Nora?" Ruby asked.
"Uhhh. I don't know. Atlas, I guess."
"Did your family never tell you?" She felt Ren place a hand on her shoulder; she could see a pink glow from the corner of her eye.
"Uh, yeah. They uh, never told me. That's it." Ruby glanced at the glowing hand on her shoulder, and gave Ren an odd look before turning back to the road. Nora sighed in relief.
Ruby kept her hands on her scythe as she walked through a set of wet bushes. She exhaled, relieved, at the sight before them.
The buildings in Yami where smushed together, the lights from the windows illuminating the rain and darkness. Large, black pools of water replaced the mud road they had been traveling; wooden bridges crisscrossed over the bog water, connecting the village together. Large, moss covered trees surrounded the village, their dark branches hanging over the buildings, blocking out the night sky. Lanterns were placed throughout the village, illuminating the wooden bridges, the glow from the Yellow Dust crystals a welcoming sight.
She heard Ren, Pyrrha, and Nora join her. She looked over at them, smiling.
"Looks like the Grimm haven't gotten this village yet." She said.
They made their way down, the wooden beams a welcome feeling after hours of marching through soggy mud. The planks groaned as they walked, and Ruby could hear something splashing in the waters beneath them. She could hear people moving around in the buildings that they walked past; muffled voices and creaking wood. She glanced up as they neared a large building, a sign hanging from its porch; the Gulping Spider. Ruby looked back at Ren.
"Do we have enough to stay here for the night?" she asked. Ren nodded.
"The amount of Lien we got back in that village should be more than enough."
Ruby opened the door, smiling as heat and light washed over her. The ryokan was crowded, the wooden tables filled with patrons. A fireplace was roaring on the wall opposite of her. Her stomach grumbled as the scent of so many different foods hit her. She went to the counter, the innkeeper giving her an odd look. He glanced past her as her team mates came up behind her. The innkeeper rubbed a pendant around his neck. Ruby cocked her head to the side as she looked at it; that was a weird looking eye.
"Room for four, please!" Ruby said. The innkeeper eyed them as he rubbed the eye pendant.
"Hunters, I take it?"
"Uh-huh!" The innkeeper stopped rubbing the pendant, and smiled at them.
"The kaiseki is on the house. We'll get your room ready." He reached under the desk and pulled a key out, handing it to Ruby. He rested his hands on the desk as Ruby pocketed the key. "By any chance, would you Hunters be interested in a village security mission?" Ruby cocked her head to the side.
"What's the problem? Are the Grimm bothering your village?"
"Aye." The innkeeper leaned forward. "A Zaratan and Tsuchigumo have taken up residence nearby, Mother damn them. Fearsome beasts they are, made short work of a lot of poor travelers. Village is starting to get low on supplies." He smiled. "We'd really appreciate your help."
Ruby looked back at her team, frowning slightly as she saw past them. The other patrons had grown quiet, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the building. They were staring at them, watching, most of them wearing the same eye pendant as the innkeeper. Pyrrha looked back, and the patrons turned back to their meals, the chatter returning. Pyrrha rested her hand on her spear as she turned back to Ruby.
"What do you guys think?" Ruby asked. Pyrrha glanced over at the innkeeper, and remained silent. Nora looked over at the other patrons, rubbing the back of her head.
"I mean… if they need the help. I guess we could do it." Ruby looked over at Ren.
"Ren, what do you think?" Ren crossed his arms.
"Higanbana is still a ways away, and the Blackwater Bog is long. We could use whatever supplies they can reward us." Ruby turned back to the innkeeper, flashing a smile.
"We'll take care of your Grimm problem." The innkeeper smiled.
"Excellent." He drummed his fingers on the desk. "When you exit the village you will come to a fork in the swamp. The drier path to the right will take you to the Zaratan. The path to the left will take you deeper into the swamp, to the Tsuchigumo's web. The way out of the Blackwater Bog is through the Zaratan's path, and that bloodthirsty beast is our main concern."
Pyrrha shut their room's door behind her. Ruby flopped down face first onto the bed, groaning, her legs dangling off the side. Nora and Ren were taking off their shoes, Ren grimacing at the muck coating his feet. Pyrrha leaned against the door, crossing her arms. She glanced over at the walls, narrowing her eyes at them. How thin were they?
"I don't like this place," she said. Ruby looked up from the bed.
"Why?" she asked. Pyrrha glanced back over at the wall. She shrugged.
"That innkeeper and those people downstairs. Something about them doesn't feel right." She said. She rubbed her chin. "I'm not the most religious person but… have any of you ever heard of a Mother before? Or seen that pendant before?" Nora frowned, and Ren paused from washing the muck to think. They looked over at her and shook their heads.
"I thought it was a little weird the way they were all staring at us but…" Ruby shifted on the bed, sitting up. "I think these people are just scared, and wanted to know if we'd help them. They have Grimm hunting outside of their village, and they're low on food." She rocked back and forth on the bed. "This place seems pretty remote so I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own local faith. It's not too crazy, right?" Nora rubbed the back of her head.
"I guess not." Nora said. Ren nodded in agreement.
Pyrrha glanced at the wall again before sighing, and going to her bed, taking off her damp armor and scarf.
Ren kept his hands near Storm Flower as he trudged through the murky water. He glanced around as he walked, listening for any sound. Ruby, Nora, and Pyrrha decided it best to take on the Zaratan and leave the Tsuchigumo to him; the Zaratan sounded like the bigger threat.
Splash!
He spun around, drawing Storm Flower. His eyes darted around, glancing up at the tree tops. He swallowed, slowly backing away from the sound. He spun around again as he felt the ground tremble. His eyes widened as the trees in front of him snapped and broke, falling into the water.
The ground trembled as a giant turtle trudged through the swamp, muck and water spraying into the air with each step, trees falling aside as it shoved past them. It's skin was ink black, almost every inch of its body covered in thick bone white armor. Moss and algae covered it's shell. The turtle looked over at him, its orange eyes staring at him as it chewed, green leaves falling from its mouth.
Ren frowned; that innkeeper mentioned a web, this Grimm did not look like it spun webs. The turtle stared at him, swallowing its greens. He cocked his head to the side, hesitating before holstering his guns. He hesitantly walked forward, holding a hand out. The turtle approached him slowly, waves of water lapping at Ren's legs as it walked. He stopped, holding out his hand. The turtle bowed its head, sniffing at his hand. It closed its eyes, and rubbed its head against his hand.
This Grimm seemed… harmless? The turtle nuzzled his hand, its hide scaly. If the Zaratan was down this way then that meant-
Ren yanked his hand back, bolting, sprinting through the swamp.
Pyrrha kept a tight grip on her spear as she followed after Ruby and Nora. Their weapons were drawn, Ruby's pace cautious as she scanned the area around them. Pyrrha looked behind her, eyes darting around. Zaratan's were big…somethings, right? They shouldn't be hard to miss in this swamp. She frowned.
"Ruby?" she called out.
"Yeah?"
"The Grimm we're going after, do you know anything about them?" she asked. Ruby was silent for a moment and Pyrrha looked back at her. Ruby sheepishly shook her head.
"I remember Weiss read a book and told me about a bunch of Grimm Professor Port was supposed to teach us about in our fourth year. She told me the Zaratan was a big turtle and the Tsuchigumo was a spider but I don't think she told me anything about them."
Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond before closing it, staring up at the tree line. A multitude of white cocoons were in the air above them. They were humanoid shaped but it looked like the heads were missing. She heard Ruby and Nora slow to a stop.
"Ruby."
"Yeah?"
"This is the way to the turtle, right?"
"I…I think so."
"Uh, guys." Pyrrha looked over at Nora; she was pointing ahead. Pyrrha looked over, a chill going through her. Web covered weapons were scattered in front of them; some hanging from tree branches, others submerged in the water around their muddy path. She squinted; the swamp turning whiter and whiter further in.
Pyrrha turned around, her eyes shooting wide. An ink black spider towered in front of her, bone armor coating its legs and thorax. It clicked its fangs as it stared at them with its orange eyes. She heard Ruby gasp as her and Nora turned around. The spider moved forward, clicking its fangs, saliva dripping down. Pyrrha backed away, raising her spear, glancing back at the web behind them.
"Sugar Rush!" Ruby commanded. Nora nodded, dropping to a knee, lowering her hammer, Ruby jumping on. Nora grunted as she flung Ruby into the air, Ruby leaving rose petals in her wake as she shot through the air with her semblance. She landed on a tree branch, her rifle popping into place. Pyrrha stood her ground, shoving her spear at the spider. It didn't flinch, continuing to move forward.
She heard a crack of thunder, and jumped back as the spider flailed, its legs crashing through a tree.
"Valkos!" Ruby ordered. Pyrrha glanced over at Nora, locking eyes with her. They nodded at each other and pounced. She stabbed into the spider's exposed belly, feeling it writhe as blood gushed down her spear. She heard a sickening crunch, and Nora grunt; the spider scrambling struggling to scramble back. Two of its leg's were missing, dark blood oozing.
"Sugar Rush!"
Nora charged forward, swinging her hammer with a yell. The spider's head was shot up as Nora's hammer slammed into it. Ruby shot down with a scream, swinging Crescent Rose, black blood spraying out, the spider's head flying into the air. Ruby got to her feet, leaning against her scythe.
The spider's body collapsed, blood draining from its missing legs and head. Ruby spun on her heels, smiling at them.
"Great job te-"
Pyrrha tightened the grip on her spear as an inhuman wail came from the spider's corpse. Fear shot through Ruby's eyes as she slowly turned around.
The spider's body was convulsing, writhing, pus oozing from its neck and legs. Pyrrha's mouth fell open in shock as bones shot from the spider's missing legs, hearing them snap and crack as they formed new legs. The spider stood up, its body undulating, thrashing around as pus and blood oozed out. Skulls began to drop from the hole in its neck, slime drenching them. She backed away, eyes wide in horror as more skulls were spit out before a bone white shape ripped its way through the hole. It twitched as it righted itself, drenched in slime and blood, bones cracking into place. A multitude of human skulls had been warped and horribly fused together; jaws forming fangs, teeth pinchers.
The spider opened its new mouth, a hellish shriek issuing forth.
"Oh fuck!" Nora screamed.
"Run!"
Pyrrha bolted, jumping into the bog, sprinting through the water, hearing Nora and Ruby as the ran behind her. The spider screamed, the ground shaking as it leapt after them, trees crashing to the ground as it tore through them. She gasped as webbing shot past her, latching onto a tree. She leapt out of the way as the webbing went taut, the tree being yanked back, crashing into the water. Muck and mud washed over her, and she rose to her feet, sputtering as it dripped down. Nora spun around, her hammer switching to a grenade launcher.
The spider leapt over Nora, and Pyrrha charged forward as she heard Ruby scream. She vaulted over the fallen tree, pouncing at the spider with a yell. Ruby was thrashing underneath the spider's grip, her scythe floating in the waters next to her, straining to keep its massive pinchers away. Pyrrha buried her spear into the spider's hide, spinning on it and landing on the staff. The spider screamed, rearing back, Ruby shooting away, snatching her scythe up.
Pyrrha snarled and kicked at the center of the staff, feeling it break apart. She caught the staff's other half with her semblance, bringing it to her hand as it formed a sword. She grabbed the spider's armor, yanking herself up and onto it's body. The spider started to buck, rearing up and screaming. Pyrrha grit her teeth, struggling to keep her balance. She yelped as the spider lurched forward, tumbling down its body and splashing into the water. The world was dark, mud coating her face. She burst from the water, screaming as the spider grabbed her.
She heard a clang, and saw the spider's pinchers bounce off of her armor. The spider lunged at her face, and Pyrrha's sword shot up, catching the pincher's, struggling to keep them away, drool dripping onto her face.
Heat washed over her as an explosion rocked the spider. It reared up with a scream, and Pyrrha rolled out of the way as it came crashing down. The spider spun around, webbing spraying forth. Nora gasped as the webbing hit, screaming as she was yanked forward.
Ruby sprung forward with a yell, slashing the webbing with her scythe, before spinning towards the spider.
"Pyrruby!"
Pyrrha charged at the spider, Ruby running alongside her. Webbing sprayed from the spider, Ruby zipping past it, and leaping at the spider with a yell. She swung her scythe, one of its legs flying into the air. Ruby landed on one of its legs, her scythe turning into a rifle, leaping into the air as the spider reared back, firing at it as she turned in the air. Pyrrha lunged forward, stabbing into the spider's belly rapidly with her sword, blood raining down on her. Ruby landed on one of the legs, spinning on her heel as her scythe sprung out, slicing through the bone armor and ripping into its sides. Semi digested heads spilled forth, dropping into the water.
Pyrrha leapt back as the spider crashed down, and lurched to the side, crashing through a tree, Ruby tumbling off with a groan. Another explosion hit the spider, the tree catching on fire as it wailed. Ruby got to her feet, running away, firing behind her as the spider chased after her. Ruby ran past her, dropping the magazine from her rifle.
"Valkos!" Ruby shouted.
Pyrrha swung her arms, a magnetic field shooting around her as she heard Nora fire several times. She latched onto the grenades as they hit her magnetic web, smirking as the spider lunged at her. She swung her arms, the spider roaring in pain as the grenades landed, the explosions blowing apart its armor, several of its legs disintegrating. The spider crumbled to the ground, snarling, blood and broken bone drooling from its maw.
She felt waves lap at her and saw a red blur as Ruby zoomed past her, several cracks of thunder as she fired. The spider wailed as blood spurted, flames igniting from the bullet holes. Ruby was a blur as she zipped around the spider, each shot and slash leading into the other as she lit the spider ablaze.
He burst through a pair of trees, landing in water, gasping for breath, the air thick with pungent smoke. A giant fire was roaring in front of him, cracks and pops audible from the carcass as it burned.
"Are you guys okay?" he wheezed. Nora spun around, her eyes lighting up before she ran over to him. He grunted as Nora tackled him, knocking them both down.
Ren smiled, wrapping his arms around her. He could feel her heart rapidly thumping against her chest. She clutched his shirt, her voice lower, hard for him to hear. "I was worried something bad had happened to you." She said.
"Nora." She looked up, and he unwrapped his arms. He poked her nose, smiling. "Boop," he said. Nora smiled back, kissing his nose before resting her forehead on his.
"Boop," she said.
He heard Ruby clear her throat and looked past Nora over at his teammates. Pyrrha was yanking her other spear half from the spider's burning hide, while Ruby was rocking back and forth on her heels, watching them.
"Sooo, any ideas why we ran into the spider?" Ruby asked. "The innkeeper told us the turtle would be down this way, right?" she asked.
Nora got off of him, and Ren stood up.
"I ran into the Zaratan. The innkeeper must have gotten them mixed up." Pyrrha reformed her spear and sheathed it, snorting. The Tsuchigumo's leg's twitched as its body popped, the flames consuming it. Pyrrha looked over at them.
"He set us up." Ruby frowned, opening and closing her mouth several times.
"Why would he do that?" Ruby asked. Pyrrha shrugged. She looked ahead, at where Yami village sat.
"I'd rather not find out." Pyrrha looked over at him. "Ren, which way do we go to get to Higanbana?" Ren pulled his backpack off, pulling the map out. He studied it for a few moments, tracing a finger over where they most likely where, and over to Higanbana's location. He nodded, and looked up at them.
"If we head down this way, we'll get out of the Bog and back onto dry land, and then Higanbana is just a few days away." He folded up the map and placed it back in the pack before slinging it over his shoulder. Pyrrha nodded, and looked over at Ruby. Ruby's silver eyes were downcast, just for a moment, before Ruby looked up, flashing a smile.
"Then let's head out team! To Higanbanana!"
Ruby shivered, clutching her arms around her body underneath her cloak. The rain was pouring down, the cold drenching her cloak and seeping through, chilling her. She looked back at her team mates as they slept. Pyrrha had set up a lean-to, their ponchos sheltering them from the rain. They were huddled together, their bedrolls scrunched up, their blankets covering most of them; Pyrrha's legs were sticking out more than the others. Ruby sighed, and shivered again, rubbing her arms against herself.
Why did that innkeeper trick them?
Ruby gripped her holstered scythe, the cold metal a sharp pain.
This isn't one of your stupid fairy tales where everything comes out okay! Sometimes horrible things just happen, Ruby! And there is nothing we can do to stop it!
Ruby lowered her head, closing her eyes as her sister's voice echoed in her mind. She felt the water drip down from her hood and run down her face. She didn't really care.
Weiss wouldn't have fallen for that man, she would have figured out he was a liar the minute he gave them their room. Blake would have figured out a way past the Grimm. Ruby snorted as she pictured Blake going full ninja, leading them through that horrible swamp.
why am i so stupid
This is the real world, Red. The real world is cold.
why am i such a failure
The water running down her face felt warm.
why am i such a freak
She opened her eyes, feeling the rain drip down.
i couldn't even lead my own team. i can't lead them. i'm just going to get us all killed.
Ruby rested her hand on her dress, feeling the outline of her scroll in her pocket. She wished the rain would stop. Just for a little bit, just to see their faces again. Ruby closed her eyes again, lifting her head up, feeling the rain pelt down against her face.
"Weiss… Blake… I hope you're safe." She whispered. She sighed, her hand going to her throat, feeling the silver rose necklace she wore. "And Yang… I hope you can forgive me."
Ruby looked back when she heard a rustling. Pyrrha was looking up from her bedroll, her eyes half open, barely awake.
"Did you say something, Ruby?" she asked. Ruby smiled at her.
"Nope! Must have been the rain." Pyrrha blinked, yawned, and laid her head back down.
Ruby's expression fell, and she turned away from them, running her hand over the necklace. She exhaled, shivering as the rain poured down.
And that's it. Up next is Family, and then Weiss' last chapter.