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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 3: Behold, My Siblings
Now, I could continue with the day-by-day occurrences of Ruby's life at the Necropolis. However, that would rapidly devolve into a rather monotonous story. I'd end up just telling you what day it was, where she went, who she was with, yada, yada, yada. It'd get very boring, very fast. I'll just stick with the most important events.
The first series of events that are actually quite important were when Ruby and my siblings, Conquest, Famine, and War, met for the first time. I had privately predicted that War would be the first of my younger siblings she met. Primarily because War visits the Necropolis far more often than Conquest or Famine. My prediction proved true at the end of Ruby's fourth month at the Necropolis.
Ruby and Keira had grown really close during their time together. They were the best of friends, and not just because they were the only two kids at the Necropolis. Bianca had rapidly accepted Ruby as her own. A fact she made known to me on that particular morning, and a problem I was working on rectifying. Making Ruby an official part of our family was actually rather easy, just a bit tedious.
My plan was to have her officially adopted into our family, both in the Necropolis and in Remnant. Though, the actual paperwork would be registered under one of my many pseudonyms. According to Remnant's paperwork, Ruby would be adopted by one mysterious R. Grim. Not very creative, but I did tell you I liked the name. Besides, it really wouldn't do for anyone to be able to find out that Ruby was adopted by death.
Anyway, While I was crossing the t's and dotting the i's, Ruby and Keira had wandered off into the Necropolis. I wasn't all that worried. It had only taken three days before the entire city knew that Ruby was under my protection. It was a remarkable feat of restraint on Keira's part. I had honestly expected the news to get out within the hour of Keira determining that Ruby was her new sister.
They had wandered off. Ruby told me that they were heading to Ferrose Cain, the Necropolis's master blacksmith. I had fostered a love of weapons in my daughter from a very young age. From the time she was five, she had wanted to learn how to use a blade. I had promised her she could when she got older. That didn't stop her from developing a love for weapons. I believe our combined influence fostered the same love of weapons in Ruby. Of course, Ferrose was more than happy to show the girls some of his newly made blades.
It was about noon when it happened. A mighty boom issued throughout the Necropolis. I sighed as I descended the stairs.
"Your sister is here." Bianca cheerily announced as I reached the front door.
"I noticed." I grumbled.
The southern gate is War's preferred entry point into the Necropolis. I arrived to an all too familiar sight. The southern gate was lying in pieces all around my youngest sister.
"Gatekeeper!" I called. "Get your men and rebuild the gate. Again."
"Peace, you stay here." War commanded.
My youngest sister, War, is one of the wildest women I know. Don't get me wrong, deep down, she can be a real sweetheart. Yet, she knows no restraint. She also takes pleasure in annoying me. The southern gate is the only gate she ever enters through, and she almost always enters it by destroying the gate.
In terms of appearance, my sister is tall. She may be the youngest of us, but she is most certainly the tallest, and the strongest. She's taller than me by about a centimeter. She has bright red hair that reaches just below her shoulders and is always tied back. Her crimson eyes match the color of her hair. Red warpaint was drawn over both her eyes. Her clothing consisted primarily of skins and furs. The most prominent fur at her neck. She never wore sleeves, but she did have steel vambraces on her lower forearms, also lined with fur. Her lower body was garbed with a fur war skirt. A belt with a large silver emblem on it resided on her waist. The emblem was a large capital psi with two swords crossed over it. Daggers also lined the belt. On her back was her favorite glaive, War Cry.
War stood proud next to her red horse. Peace looked completely unbothered by the destruction his rider had wrought upon our wall. He just stood there, the look on in his eyes told you that he was used to this sort of thing.
When I beheld what was in her hands, I saw why she was here. Held in her hands were two halves of a broken sword. Her specially made highland claymore, Mano a Mano. I don't even want to know how she broke it. It was a gift from me some time ago. I had it commissioned for her after the Great War on Remnant. Ferrose was not going to be happy.
"War." I greeted.
"Brother!" War exclaimed with excitement.
She rushed forward and hugged me. I reluctantly returned her embrace.
"Must you always destroy this gate?" I questioned as I released her.
"Yeah." War replied. "Don't you have a team to fix it?"
"A team that I brought here solely to fix it. I have at least two more southern gates waiting as backups." I grumbled.
"See, it's fine." War responded, trying to placate me. "Now, I need to speak to Cain."
"I can see that." I stated, giving a pointed look to her broken blade. "What'd you do?"
War just looked at her weapon. "I swung it too hard?"
By the look on her face, I could tell that not even she believed that. I waved at her to follow me. We made our way to Ferrose's Forge.
Ferrose Cain preferred to live his afterlife as a skeleton. No flesh meant he had no worry about the heat, a problem many had upon entering his forge. We entered a surprisingly cool building. I could see why almost immediately. His forge was cool. He was happily presenting some of his newest blades to Ruby and Keira. Keira held one of them, almost reverently. Ruby just watched, no small amount of awe as Cain demonstrated the capabilities of the broadsword in his hand.
"Aunt War!" Keira exclaimed, spotting us first.
She placed the blade she had been holding back on the rack and ran at us. War caught her in an embrace. Ruby watched as we entered, a slight trace of fear on her face. She told me that War was a rather imposing woman the first time they met. War set Keira down and then she noticed Ruby. War froze, confusion evident in her face. Cain set down the broadsword to greet us. He scowled at the sight of War's broken sword. He silently grabbed the blade and headed deeper into his forge. War, just pointed at Ruby.
"Death, what is this?" She asked.
"This is Ruby. Ruby, this is my sister, War." I introduced them.
"Hi." Ruby nearly whispered.
"She…" War began.
I'll admit, I was rather uncomfortable. An awkward silence settled over us. It was only broken by my daughter.
"I'm gonna go…" She whispered to me. "Mom probably has lunch ready."
War turned to me as Keira left. "Is she human?"
"Yes." I responded.
"Why?" War asked. "Why do you have a human here?"
"Well…" I began.
"Can I train her?" War asked.
"What?" I didn't think I had heard her right.
"What?" Ruby echoed, not a second later.
"Can. I. Train. Her?" War emphasized each word.
"In… what?" I asked, already knowing the answer,
"Weapons, Swordplay, you know. The art of war." War answered.
"Maybe when she's a little older." I answered.
"Fine. But I get to teach her to fight." War demanded before leaving the forge.
"Who was she?" Ruby asked.
"My sister." I answered.
"Can I learn? Ruby asked.
I looked down at her.
"To fight." She clarified.
"Let's wait a couple years for that." I answered. "But you will in time… I don't think War is giving us a choice."
Bianca was… less than pleased that I agreed to let War teach Ruby how to fight. She made me promise that, at the least, War wouldn't be teaching Ruby firearms. Honestly, I can agree with that one. Keira was just excited that someone would be joining her for training… eventually.
We had trusted War with handling Keira's basic weapons training. I would be taking over to train Keira in the art of the scythe when she was much older. And now, without much input from myself, War was to be entrusted with Ruby's basic weapons training as well.
Mano a Mano was rebuilt two weeks later. I was going to return it to War, since I really didn't want her to come and destroy the southern gate again. Ruby decided that she wanted to come with me. I figured there wouldn't be much harm in letting War get closer with her soon to be niece.
It was on this journey that she met Conquest. I suppose I should have expected it. Even though War is the youngest, Conquest isn't that much older than her. And since war and conquest are very closely linked in the mortal world, War and Conquest appropriately share the same realm. We call it The Battlefield. It is an endless desert, in much the same way that the Fields of the Lost is an endless plain. However, since War and Conquest have made it their home, there are two locations of interest. The Arena and Command Post Delta.
The Arena is where War makes her home. It is built in the style of ancient amphitheaters. The center of the amphitheater is where she usually trains and practices with her weapons. The stands, instead of being filled with spectators, are filled with weapons. In the wings of The Arena is a small apartment she calls home.
More interestingly is Command Post Delta. I'm sure you can tell that it's Conquest's home. It is a mobile command unit, as he calls it. It's actually a giant blimp. The cockpit of the blimp is where he spends most of his time. The rest is a rather high-class suite. My favorite part is his closet. It's filled with nothing but tabletop games of all sorts. Conquest likes board games. He's always got an active game of chess going, though I've no clue who he plays with.
Anyway, we had barely entered the Battlefield when we heard the thrum of Conquest's Blimp. Sure enough, Command Post Delta was hovering above us. My brother, Conquest, stood just in front of us, an unimpressed from on his face.
Conquest is not the nicest of individuals, he doesn't like me very much. He's a fair bit shorter than me, and his short black hair is cut in a military buzz style. He usually wears desert camo military gear, which is to be expected. However, oddly enough, his boots and pants are jungle camo. The strangest part is the white blindfold he wears. I have never seen him without it. I only know that his eyes are a very pale blue because he didn't start wearing a blindfold until his third decade.
"Conquest." I greeted neutrally.
"Death." He replied.
"It's good to see you." I stated.
"That's debatable." He replied.
"Why are you?" I questioned.
He directed his gaze to Ruby.
"Your anomaly." He answered. "War mentioned her. I had to investigate her claims myself. How fortuitous that you brought her here today."
"Indeed. Well, this is…" I began.
"Appropriately underwhelming." Conquest responded.
He said little more before vanishing.
"I don't like him." Ruby said as his blimp flew off.
"Not many do." I replied.
We mounted Mordred and rode off towards the Arena. War was ecstatic when she heard that Bianca had consented to allowing her to train Ruby. Her response upon learning this was to grab Ruby and carry her into the Arena. I caught up with them and politely informed her that Ruby would begin training in one year's time. I wanted her to be at least seven years old before she started learning how to handle a blade. The same thing we did with Keira.
My final sibling, Famine, didn't meet Ruby until after I had officially completed Ruby's adoption. She kept her last name as Rose. Her middle name became Grim. Ruby Grim Rose. I think it's cool. Her reaction was joy or ecstasy. It was actually a sad acceptance. A quiet melancholy. My family was happy. She was officially my daughter. Ruby, however? I think it was then when she fully understood that things had changed. That her family was well and truly gone.
That isn't to say that Ruby didn't like being part of our family. She and Keira were already close. Bianca became the mother she really needed. I filled in for her father. That isn't to say we replaced her original family. Bianca, for as wonderful a woman as she is, could not replace Summer Rose. I was no Taiyang Xiao Long.
I'm getting off topic. The fourth horseman met Ruby about two weeks after we officialized her adoption. This would have been a good month or after her brief meeting with Conquest. Famine is actually the most reclusive of us horsemen. But she was also the smartest.
Amongst the four of us, it can't be argued that I am the most powerful, War is the strongest, Conquest is the best with strategy and is the smartest naturally. Famine is the smartest through years of research and almost masochistic perseverance. Her home realm is called the Wasteland, despite the fact that it doesn't actually resemble a wasteland. Famine has spent a lot of time creating a way to directly counter her part of judgement. As such, the Wasteland is actually a large endless plant bearing plain. It has fields, jungles, forests, even a small desert. It is by far the most diverse in terms of biomes. In the center of it all is her home, the Tower. It resembles a lighthouse in design. The bottom of the building is where she lives and tutored Keira. Halfway up the tower is her lab, and the top is an observation and testing deck.
We came very close to being a part of her tests when Ruby and I first entered the Wasteland. It was actually a nice day. She had once again wanted to come with me.
"And welcome to the Wasteland." I said to Ruby as we exited the portal and gestured to the empty plain around me.
"Not much of a wasteland." Ruby replied, looking around. "Why did you need to come here, again?"
"LOOK OUT!" A female voice yelled.
I glanced up and saw a bright green projectile flying towards us. Without thinking, I grabbed Ruby and dove to the side. The projectile impacted the dirt with a thunder like boom. A large apple tree had grown in its place. Ruby watched awestruck as apples grew to full maturity in seconds.
"Good, you weren't hit. That would have been a poor experiment if you were." My sister said, approaching us from behind.
Famine stood behind us, casually jotting down the results of whatever her experiment was. She was often building and testing something. Famine was wearing a simple pair of jeans and brown sneakers. A green t-shirt was covered by an old white lab coat. To complete the mad scientist look, her auburn hair stuck out in all directions and she had a pair of dark goggles over her hazel green eyes. She once told me that her bed head takes a whole twenty-four hours of work. I'm honestly surprised that it never gets in the way of whatever she's doing.
She plucked an apple from the newly grown tree and bit into it. She spit it out almost immediately. She held it out to me.
"Brother, dear, taste this, tell us what you think." Famine all but commanded, handing me an apple.
With a shrug, I bit down. It was the worst apple I have ever eaten. It tasted like some electrified a rock, sprinkled salt on it, and coated it in dirt. I, too, spit it out immediately.
"Not good." I answered helpfully.
"I gathered that." Famine replied, "Now why did you come… here…?"
Famine had just gotten a look at Ruby. Instantly, the scientist was on her like white on rice. She was poking and prodding the young girl. Testing reflexes and responses. I could tell Ruby wasn't very comfortable with it. A sigh escaped my mouth as I guessed at what was happening.
"You've brought us a fine specimen. I didn't know you were in the habit of taking humans." Famine stated.
"Famine-" I began.
"Pestilence, not Famine right now." My sister replied.
That confirmed what I thought. You see, I mentioned it earlier, but Famine has a second personality named Pestilence. We aren't sure why. We just know that Pestilence exists. We also know how to change her from Pestilence back to Famine.
"Pestilence." I started.
"Yes, brother?" Pestilence asked, no longer prodding at Ruby.
"Ruby isn't here as a specimen. We need to talk to Famine." I said.
"Of course, you do." Pestilence said. "No one ever needs to talk to Pestilence. It's always about Famine! Why does no one ever need to talk to me?"
"Famine understands personal space. Famine is the more reasonable one. Famine is more rational. Take your pick." I answered.
"Screw rationality. This world needs more irrationality." Pestilence replied.
"Pestilence." I said, heading off the oncoming rant.
"What?!" She snapped.
"It's raining somewhere else." I said.
Pestilence froze. Her eyes lidded and she appeared to be falling asleep. With a jerk, she stood upright and looked at us confused.
"Death?" She questioned. "What happened? Pestilence was supposed to be in charge today."
"I needed to talk to you Famine." I replied.
"About?" Famine queried.
"My daughter, Ruby." I said.
"Bianca had another child?" Famine questioned. "Strange, I don't remember hearing about this, but it could have happened. I don't visit often enough. Hey, the experiment worked!"
Famine plucked another apple from the tree.
"I wouldn't-" I began, but it was too late.
Famine bit into the rotten tasting fruit. She chewed for a bit, then spit it out.
"Too salty." She muttered, jotting down the notes. "Come, we can talk at the Tower."
Famine began leading us towards her home.
"How'd you change her?" Ruby asked.
"I didn't actually. My sister has a problem. In her head is another voice, the slightly manic one you first met. That was Pestilence." I began.
"But how'd you change Pestilence to…" Ruby asked, gesturing to Famine.
"Famine, dear. Her name is Famine." I said. "And it's a long-term post-hypnotic suggestion. Tell her the trigger phrase and you change which person you're speaking too."
It was actually War's idea, surprisingly enough. I was the one who did the research required to make it an effective, permanent suggestion that only War, Conquest, or I could activate. The hardest part was getting Pestilence and Famine to agree to it. Conquest chose the trigger phrase. His reasoning for it being that we never actually discuss the weather.
That being said, despite Pestilence's whining, we do need her sometimes. Pestilence is actually the more knowledgeable one than Famine. Famine, however, is the better teacher. Which was why we were visiting. Bianca was the one who reminded me, but Ruby needed a teacher. We already had Keira learning from Famine. I didn't doubt that she would agree to teach Ruby.
We entered the Tower. Famine invited us to sit in her living room. I passed by a fresh plate of cookies. With a chuckle I grabbed the plate. Famine usually had some sort of baked good around her place. It is surprising how thin my sister is. It's also surprising how much she really despises her power as the Horseman of Famine.
I noticed Ruby hungrily eyeing the plate of cookies as I set it down on the table in Famine's living room. Famine joined us a second later. She quickly saw Ruby eyeing the plate.
"You can have some, if you want." Famine said to Ruby.
Ruby smiled and grabbed a couple. She happily began eating.
"Now, brother, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? And would mind explaining to me how you have a human daughter?" Famine said gesturing to Ruby.
"Well, Ruby is the reason for my visit. And we adopted her." I continued to explain to her the full story.
That is one thing that I really appreciate about Conquest. He never did ask for Ruby's story. War did much later, but it never mattered to her as much as Ruby's training.
"That's all well and good, but why did you come to me?" Famine asked once I finished Ruby's tale.
"I was hoping that you'd agree to teach her like you've done for Keira." I answered.
"I can do that." Famine readily agreed.
I wasn't expecting her to agree so easily, but that made our lives easier.
"Actually, we can begin next week. We can start with literacy, then move on to the more interesting subjects." Famine began muttering to herself.
"What's she going to teach me?" Ruby asked.
"Most of your book learning." I answered.
"You can't?" Ruby pouted.
"I could, but I am much busier than my sister. She's also a much better teacher than I am. Don't worry, she's much nicer than Conquest." I assured her. "Besides, she can make you cookies."
Ruby smiled and took another cookie.
That was the first time Ruby met each of my siblings. It wouldn't be the last.
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Data Log DoD-003
And thus, we have now met all four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. None of whom are actually evil. What do you think? Don't worry, they will be fleshed out more in the future.
Thank you to all who read this, your feedback and views are much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future.
Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.
End Log S.T.K.