I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.
Apathy
Fox's eyes slowly creaked open. As he did, he looked down, seeing Blake asleep in the bed beside him. He smiled, gently brushing some hairs out of her face and she sat up slowly, yawning and smiling up at him tiredly.
"Hey," she smiled. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alright," Fox smiled. "My headache's all gone. How long have we been here?"
"One night, I think," Blake said. "I'm so tired. A lot's happened, though. Everyone in the town's dead. Like they all went to sleep and just never woke up again. When we found out, I was terrified that would happen to you too."
"I'm be alright," Fox smiled. "Where is everyone?"
"I think they all decided to sleep in the living room," Blake said, standing. "Are you okay to get up?"
Fox nodded, pulling the sheets back and standing. Blake smiled and Fox kissed her for a moment before pulling back and smiling.
"How are you?" Fox asked.
"I'm not the one that passed out," Blake said.
"No," Fox agreed. "But you are the one that just found out everything she had been doing was based on a lie."
"So were you," Blake said. "You were following Ozpin too."
"No," Fox said. "I wasn't following Ozpin. I was traveling with you. I was trying to keep you safe. I was trying to help an old friend in whatever he needed done, and I was trying to protect my new friends and the love of my life. I'm not that surprised to find out Salem's immortal. I'm not surprised to find out Ozpin's got no idea how to stop her. The only thing that really surprised me was something Jin told me alone. I was created by the gods specifically to mediate between Ozpin and Salem. Which makes sense that she used the word mediate, since neither can ever truly die, and neither can I."
Blake nodded. "That does kind of make sense. Come on. Let's go and see if the others are ready to leave."
As they left the room and headed for the living room, they found Qrow in a drunken stupor beside one of the windows, three empty wine bottles beside him. Fox rested a hand on Qrow's shoulder, supercharging his aura long enough to sober him up before pulling his hand away just as Ruby stepped into the room.
"Good morning," Fox smiled.
"You're awake," Ruby smiled tiredly. "That's good. We were worried."
"Your uncle's taking this hard," Fox said, taking the flask out of Qrow's jacket and pouring it out on the floor. "He needs to stop drinking for a while."
Ruby nodded, picking up one of the bottles. After a moment, she hurled it at the wall, shattering it. Qrow jumped, looking around before seeing it was them, along with the displeased look in Ruby's eyes.
"Oh, right, sunrise," Qrow said, reaching for his flask, only to stop when he saw Fox holding it. "You dumped it out, didn't you?"
"You're done drinking," Fox said. "I understand how you feel, believe me, I do. But drinking yourself to death isn't going to solve anything."
"Yeah yeah," Qrow grumbled. "Are the others awake?"
"Yes," Ruby nodded. "They went to fix Yang's bike."
Qrow nodded. "Go help them. I'll be out in a bit. I'm going to take one last look around."
Ruby nodded hesitantly before heading outside. As she did, Qrow reached for his flask, but Fox caught his arm.
"You've had enough," Fox said.
"I'll decide when I've-"
"You're her father, aren't you?" Fox asked, Qrow freezing, Blake staring at Fox, then Qrow, then fox again. "How do you think Ruby feels, seeing you drinking yourself into a stupor at night, and lying to her face about being okay? Do you think it's any easier on her to know Ozpin's been lying to us all? Do you really think she needs to be worried about you on top of everything else?"
Qrow was silent for several seconds before sighing. "That flask was a gift."
Fox sighed, setting it in Qrow's hand and Qrow slipped it into his jacket, picking up his weapon. The three of them walked outside, arriving just as Weiss finished welding a piece of metal on the back of Blake's bike back into place as Ava and Wulfe pushed a trailer over.
"Finished," Weiss said tiredly.
Fox looked around, aside from him, the only one who didn't seem completely exhausted was Ava, though she had always been an early riser, so he figured that was to be expected.
"Good," Qrow said. "Now we just need to hook this thing up and-"
Just as he set his hand on the trailer, one of the tires burst, going flat in seconds and being rendered useless. Qrow grit his teeth and inhaled slowly before walking away, sitting off to the side.
"Should have seen that coming," Qrow said.
"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria said, stepping onto the porch, her eyes' shutters adjusting themselves a few times.
"I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas," Yang sighed, sitting against a well beside her.
"We've been through worse," Fox said. "We just need to find a spare. If nothing else, Weiss can probably make one out of ice."
"It's not just that," Yang said. "It's everything! Storms, crashes, monsters." She sighed heavily. "I'm so tired."
"Me too," Blake said, sitting on the porch beside Oscar now. "It seems like we're always having to fight to get by."
"Yeah, but that's what we signed up for," Ruby said.
"We signed up to try to save the world," Oscar said. "Not just...delay the inevitable."
"We're not delaying the inevitable," Fox said. "We're searching for answers. Do any of you really think that it'll be easy to find a way to kill an immortal mutant bitch like Salem?"
"That's beside the point," Wulfe grumbled, laying on the trailer. "Unlike you, not all of us had a nice, long, restful sleep. We're all tired. We're all sick of being lied to."
Fox sighed. Wulfe could be really stubborn when he was tired, and Fox could tell he was barely keeping himself awake at this point.
"Last night...I couldn't stop thinking," Weiss said. "Why are we going to Atlas?"
"Weiss, we have to go," Ruby said.
"Why?" Yang asked, standing and turning to them.
"To keep the lamp away from Salem," Fox said.
"Ozpin hid the relics behind giant doors beneath massive schools," Yang pointed out. "But...how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"
"But...the grimm might," Ruby said.
"They'd find it eventually, sure," Yang said. "But...bury it or throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now."
"You can't be serious, right?" Fox asked. "Can you even begin to imagine what Salem could do with the lamp's power? Maybe something like, where are the maidens? Or how do I kill Ozpin permanently? Or how do I destroy a relic? Can you imagine the repercussions of any of those questions?"
Yang shrugged, Fox's mouth actually dropping open. "Like I said, it might not even happen in our lifetime."
Ruby pulled the lamp off of her belt, holding it in front of herself as Weiss stepped up beside Yang. Blake stepped up beside Fox, slipping her hand into his and leaning on his shoulder, yawning.
"Ruby, you can't," Fox said, watching her walk to the well, holding out the lamp but not dropping it, simply staring at it.
"I am...really...tired," Ruby said, her arm beginning to tremble slightly.
Finally, she sighed, moving the lamp a little closer to herself. Then, she screamed, jumping, the lamp falling into the well. She lunged for it, Fox doing the same, but both missed, the lamp spinning away into the darkness below.
"Oh no!" Ruby said. "No no no! I didn't mean to!" She rested her face in her hands.
"Ruby, it's okay," Weiss said.
"No!" Ruby said, turning to her. "No there's something down there, I saw it! It was looking at me!"
Fox held a hand out, his palm glowing green, green light shining down into the well, reflecting off the thin layer of water below. The relic was gone.
"There's no way it floated away," Fox said. "It's too heavy for that."
"We have to find it!" Ruby said.
"All we have to do is fix this trailer," Qrow said, looking to Oscar. "Hey farm boy, check for a spare."
"You too?" Fox asked. "Jesus. At least you agree with us, right Blake?"
Blake hesitated, Fox staring at her. Finally, she sighed. "I mean...There's no guarantee that Salem really wants to use the relics. And Yang has a point about it taking the grimm years to find them."
"I can't believe you!" Fox said, pulling his hand out of hers. "Fine. Me and Ruby will go find the relic ourselves. You guys fix the trailer."
"Thank you Fox," Ruby said.
"Wait," Blake said. "I'm sorry. You're right. We can't just leave it sitting around. Like it or not, we can't let Salem have them. I'll come with you."
Yang sighed. "So will I."
"We'll go down together," Weiss said.
"Fine," Qrow groaned. "Find the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire." He stood, walking toward the house.
"Where are you going?" Maria asked.
"I'm going to see if there's any food we can take with us," Qrow said. "I remember there being some canned food with the wine. Even I can't fuck up canned food that bad."
"Qrow," Fox said.
"Relax," Qrow said. "I'm not going to drink any wine."
Fox nodded and turned back to the well, climbing in and sliding down using his hands and feet against the sides before reaching the bottom of the well and falling into a water way, landing lightly. It was only about ten feet high or so, so it wasn't much of a landing. He stepped out of the way, and a moment later the others landed as well, all looking around. Ruby and Yang both raised their scrolls, turning the lights on and looking around.
"So where'd it go?" Yang asked.
"Like I said, it couldn't have been carried away by the current," Fox said, looking around. "Something's down here with us."
They all looked around, before choosing a direction and beginning to walk. As they did, Fox looked around carefully, his sword in his hand. The water way was a maze of tunnels, likely running all under the town. After about ten minutes, they stopped, looking around.
"Maybe we should turn the lights out and look for its glow?" Blake more asked than suggested.
"Good idea," Fox nodded, Ruby and Yang turning the lights out.
They kept walking, barely able to see now, for another few minutes before finally stopping, a dim blue light glowing from a side passage up ahead.
"There," Blake said tiredly, pointing.
Ruby jogged over, turning the corner and disappearing from sight.
"Guys, I..." Ruby's voice trailed off and Fox tensed, stepping forward.
Just as he did, Ruby began to scream, running back around the corner with the lamp hugged against her chest.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, Fox running forward to meet her, only to slow to a stop as several tall emaciated grimm staggered around the corner.
"Apathy!" Fox shouted. "Run now!"
He switched to a bow and fired an arrow through several of them, destroying them. However, the rest all suddenly roared. Suddenly, Fox felt like his limbs were made of lead. He staggered a few steps before catching himself, turning away from the grimm and forcing himself awake using his semblance. Just as he did, Maria arrived.
"Run!" Maria shouted. "Now!"
The others all looked back toward the Grimm, only for Fox to grab Ruby and Blake's hands, running away from the grimm, Yang and Weiss following. They quickly made their way back toward the well, however, just as they neared the light, more Apathy stepped into the light, roaring. Again exhaustion flooded Fox, Fox struggling to keep it at bay this time.
"This way!" Ruby said, turning down a tunnel made by a broken wall.
The others all followed, and they continued through a maze of tunnels, both man-made and grimm-made. The further they ran, the more Apathy began to follow them, and the more tired they all began to feel. Finally, they ran through a broken wall into what looked like a flooded wine cellar. Except that the moment they stepped inside, a horde of Apathy off to the side roared, all of them falling to their knees.
"I can't...do this," Yang said weakly, struggling to crawl away. "I can't..."
Fox forced himself to his feet, lifting his sword shakily. "The...the stairs." He pointed to a set of stairs off to the side. "Get...out. Quickly."
Maria reached the stairs first, catching herself on the side of them before sitting down heavily. As she did, Fox stepped forward, slashing several of the grimm. He stepped back as several reached for him, slashing their arms and stumbling away from them with the sword's momentum. He fell to his knees just as Blake collapsed.
"Blake!" Fox said. "Get up!"
"It's fine," Blake said, unable to even lift her head off of her arm anymore.
An Apathy reached for her and Fox shoved himself up, stumbling over and slashing it, falling onto Blake as another stepped up. He curled himself protectively around her, unable to get himself up anymore.
"Blake, Fox!" Ruby shouted, her eyes suddenly shining blindingly.
The grimm all roared in pain, shrinking back from the light and Fox felt the exhaustion leave his body. He scrambled up, pulling Blake up and grabbing her sword.
"What just happened?" Maria asked.
Blake leaned heavily on Fox's shoulder as he helped her toward the stairs, Weiss running up to the doors and shoving against them.
"They're locked!" Weiss said.
"Out of my way!" Yang said, hurrying to the stairs.
Just as she hit the third step, a fresh horde of Apathy reached the room, roaring at the same time as the injured ones shrieked. Fox's legs gave out instantly, dropping both himself and Blake to the ground. He was so tired. He could barely think. And the water below him was so cool and comforting. Blake was lying on his chest and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her. Maybe he'd just sleep for a little while. Just as he closed his eyes, a blinding light burned through his eyelids and he groaned, raising a hand. Suddenly, his exhaustion began to evaporate. He opened his eyes, blinking twice before sitting up, looking toward where the grimm had been. They were gone. The last of their remains were dissolving in the air before them. Fox turned, staring at Ruby, who was staring at the grimm's remains in a stunned silence.
"Yang go!" Fox said, shaking himself out of his surprise and pulling Blake up.
Yang stood, running up the rest of the stairs before punching the door, blasting it open. She ran out of the cellar, Weiss following, then Fox and Blake and Ruby and Maria.
"We're back in the house?" Yang asked.
"Good," Fox said. "Get outside."
"What are you all doing in here?" Qrow asked from off to the side, arms loaded with cans.
"There are Apathy below the town," Fox said.
Qrow swore and nodded, following Yang, Blake, and Maria as they left. Fox grabbed an armful of liquor from the shelves and began hurling the bottles at the cellar doors. Weiss quickly followed suit.
"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.
"Keeping them from following us," Fox said. "Weiss, do it now!"
Weiss drew her sword, flames spiraling along the blade just as several Apathy reached the puddle of liquor they had spread over the floor. Then, Weiss slashed, a glyph forming in the air and an arc of flames shooting out of it, igniting them and the liquor. They all ran outside, finding the others all on the trailer, Yang seated on the bike, ready to leave. As soon as they were on the trailer, Yang sped off, quickly leaving the town behind. After a while of riding, Maria finally broke the silence.
"The Apathy," Maria said. "They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money toward the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsmen protection. But in order to do that, he needed everyone calm. Always."
"Managed to get two away from their pack," Oscar read, holding a book that was apparently a diary from Bartleby, the former owner of the estate they had just left. "Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired."
"The next page proves that he did," Maria said. "But not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels...that Bartleby sealed up the next morning." She took the book from Oscar. "Bartleby's plan worked. No one was angry, or sad, or scared. No one was anything. And then, no one was left."
She tossed the book away, sighing. Fox sighed, resting his head on Blake's shoulder, glancing at Ava, who was leaning on Wulfe's shoulder. He smiled slightly at that.
"I'm...sorry for what I said," Weiss said. "About giving up."
Yang slowed to a stop and sighed. "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."
"It's not your fault," Blake said. "It was those...things."
"I should have known," Maria said. "The signs were all there. But I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I...suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."
"Miss Calavera?" Ruby spoke up, Maria looking back at her. "How do you know so much about the grimm? And in the tunnels you knew exactly what to say to make me...to make my eyes do that. How?"
"Well, isn't it obvious girl?" Maria smiled. "I had silver eyes."
"Had?" Fox asked.
Maria sighed heavily. "That was a long time ago. I will explain everything I can once we're safe. For now, we should keep moving."
Yang nodded, continuing, and they all fell silent again.
Leave a review.
I'm accepting applications for any OCs to have either cameo or maybe join the group for a while, depending on how detailed the description of them and how the story progresses. Don't forget, Fox's team still has an open spot. I'll keep the best one as a replacement. Oh, also, any original Grimm you want to appear in the story, feel free to leave that in a review as well.