Act V - Life's Pieces
Chapter 38 - Jaws of Regret
It was the dead of night, Vale's street were not as nosy as the day since most would have spent their time working on repairs or going about their lives making a living, the only people around were party-goers or Huntsmen. I hugged the left street, peering into shops until I located my target, hands tucked into my pockets as I walked. It was still winter, and cold.
After a lengthy walk, I finally located the shop, decorated with a brass-styled edge, a display showing off Huntsmen augments and clothing fit for both agile and bulky Huntsmen and Huntresses, and the prices weren't half bad. Stepping inside with the chime of a bell, two pairs of eyes locked to me by the counter.
"What took you so long?" Wearing a small smile, while resting her cheek in her palm, Summer greeted me, with the shop owner being that of a woman in her twenties, eyes gold with pupils like the sights of a sniper's scope, long, pink hair tied back to reveal her constant smile
"Oooo, good, you're back! Just in time for my latest masterpiece~!" The woman, Carla, exclaimed happily, leaping over the counter to greet me with a rapid handshake that had my body vibrate
"U-uh, nice to meet you, uhh, help?" I meekly begged Summer, but she rolled her eyes playfully. Suddenly, two flashes of white and red came to my aid, making Carla's inspection of my body cease
"We got you, boss!" Eric bellowed while Iota crossed his arms, already inspecting some of the wares hanging on the walls
"Hmm, a new weapon might work..." Iota does realize I'm the one that would be carrying it, right?
To explain, my Semblance has since... evolved, somewhat. Now I could project Iota and Eric similar to Sun and Blake's copies, only they last as long as their aura's remain, so it taxes me less and they can fight without needing to control my body. The downside, they've been outside my head alot and causing trouble.
"Now, without any delays let's get this fashion shop rollin'!" Carla ushed Summer into the door behind the counter, the changing room, even while Summer herself was caught off guard by her eagerness
"Heh, have fuuun~" I motioned back to her, seeing the pout she gave me before the door shut tight
After a few minutes of browsing, the door creaked open. "Ta-Da! Presenting, Summer 2.0!" Carla did some jazz-hands then moved aside for Summer to walkout
She wore a brand-new silver chest armour, a black tunic and a white, thigh-long windswept skirt beneath the armour. She also sported long, black boots with metal plating alongside thigh-high socks of the same color. Covering her hair was a newly fashioned white cloak with the red underside. It was shorter, splitting into two tails just below her shoulder blades, the cloth resting down at her thighs. Last, she wore some fingerless gloves, adjusting them a bit with a twist.
Fixing her twin axes, Rose and Thorn, to her belt she did a small turn with a bright smile. "I haven't done this in so long~" It was nice seeing her carefree every-now-and-then, certainly a carbon copy of Ruby. "So, you're up next, right?"
I nodded, grabbing the equipment I ordered with Carla rubbing her hands together giddily. "Oooo, I had fun designing this! Never woven tech into cloth before - but let me tell you I furrowly enjoyed it!"
"Good to know... well, be out in a flash." I waved, closing the door behind me as I got to work changing
It's been just over a month since I left Patch, in that time I've traveled across Vale with Summer, gathering intel she's kept scattered in hope that the more Grimm side of Mars could not uncover the data, while also aiding in Grimm activity near Beacon's reconstruction, of course, no one knew who we were, only ever knowing we were Huntsmen, although seeing Glynda was nice, turns out she'll be running Beacon once it's back up and running within a year or so, depending on construction since I kind-of used the CCT as a battering ram against a giant Wyvern... Glynda did hit me round the head for that.
I wonder how Ruby and Yang were? Erika too, even Coco and Velvet, were they back in Vacuo right now until Beacon was back to normal? Was Weiss okay back home? Where did Blake go? So many questions racked around my head that it nearly caused a headache, but it all would be answered, I know I'll find out once I've taken care of this Vex, although, that's easier said than done I suppose.
With a small sigh, I pulled the door back.
"How do I look?"
Stepping out before them and a full-length mirror, I now wore an azure trenchcoat that stretched down to my knees, white lines for the trimming, with fur cuffs and collar too. Underneath was my white, V-neck shirt with the dog tags still in-place, while Ruby's snug gloves adding a red contrast to the look. I wore my black boots with silver plates to protect my shins. Alongside a silver plate worn on the left side of the coat. In the light a slight shimmer of metal could be seen laced into the clothing, to synchronize with Cognitum as so the fabric isn't cut or jammed when I use it.
With the time passed, I haven't done much with my hair, with more locks of white appearing too so with the majority on my right side I braided them with some thread, the long lock dangling beside my right eye, grazing my cheek. I also wore a small eyepatch of metal to cover my left eye, but as I discovered, using Cognitum allows for me to have perfect 20/20 vision again, but only when it's active.
Carla whistled with wide eyes. "Lookin' good, DS!" She also gave a thumbs up
"You certainly clean up well, far smarter." Summer complimented as I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly
"We have done the same too, now we are one in the same once more." Iota and Eric appeared, their spectral forms revealed to have changed to match my attire, but you couldn't tell since they were white and red apparitions after all. Eric even spun around, although, even without a smile, his wide eyes clearly told us he liked it
"We look awesome~!" He was right, we did look awesome
"Oh, you think if I get my body back I can have a coat like all of yours?" Penny inquired happily. So with a defeated sigh, I nodded to the little sprite on my shoulder
"Sure, I don't see why not?" That made her smile with a small jump, it was too cute
Summer giggled a bit. "In only a short time we've gotten ourselves quite the handful of allies, haven't we?"
Yeah... makes me wonder how the rest are doing? Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang... I hope you girls are alright. Keeping this train of thought to myself I smiled. "Where's the fun in adventuring across Remnant alone anyways?"
"Exactly, speaking of which, I'll go ahead and pay for this, you just get these two back in that head of yours..." Summer jabbed a finger at the posing Iota before a mirror and the Eric who joined in from behind, annoying him greatly
"What kind of a team are we?"
Present Day...
[System Alert]
Time Remaining...
3 Months | 14 Days | 10 Hours | 09 Minutes
A countdown. Every day I've seen it, not once have I found any form of an answer to its purpose, what it counted down to, or why I could find no other leads to its origin. Mars has been silent since the Battle of Beacon, Summer had received no reply so we were on our own, say for where Summer was taking me, to meet who and where it was in Anima we needed to go still remained a mystery. And to add insult to injury...
It was 'really' hot! Like, I'll turn into a puddle, hot. We were now on the ship for Anima, but as I stared down at the sun's reflection on the passing waves that stretched endlessly, I decided to speak up.
"Say, Summer?" I asked curiously. "Who is this 'Salem'? Since I've only heard Mars say her name, and her title as the big boss of all of this."
Her expression was solemn. "She can control Grimm," That... was bad. "She created the Horsemen, as you know, and has been after the Relics Ozpin hid for centuries, if anything, that's her end goal, but for what end I never really found an answer before I was killed, all I know is that she is always a step ahead, no matter what."
"Cinder took the remnants of the Fall Maiden's power, meaning if they succeeded in taking Beacon she would only need to locate the vault and Cinder would be able to claim the Relic of Choice. That's all I know." Summer elaborated with a breath. "It hasn't been easy but we've kept her at bay this long, but her next target is unknown, and with that 'Vex' Mars has been preparing for we have our work cut out for us."
"Great... fate of the world rests in the hands of a guy with three voices in his head. Two are his personalities, the other an A.I. Pair that up with my girlfriend's previously dead Mom; We're all doomed." I ranted with a pitiful cheer, as my arm dangled over the edge of the railing, though Summer did laugh a bit
"Always dramatic, but yeah... its bad." She copied me, the two of us sharing a small laugh at our predicament. Tapping the railing Summer stood up straight. "Well, I'll head back to the room. Bye."
I waved. "Seeya." Now I was alone again, say for the three bobbing around in my subconscious doing... whatever they do
"I'd be careful if I were you, don't want a Scaldron to tear off your arm!" At the female voice beside me, I reeled back, as the women smiled at my reaction. "Not used to girls jumping you?"
When I looked at her hat, I could tell she was the captain. Although, her black, purple, and red clothing gave the impression of a pirate. She wore a scruffy, black coat, with its sleeves short like mine, black cargo pants with red, and purple lines down them, and crimson boots. But she did wear a short scarf of the three colors.
"No, but when your team consisted of only girls, you tend to have a paranoid reaction to jumpscares." I mused, causing her to laugh, before she held a hand out to me. "Sky Zaffre, Huntsman at your service."
"Yeah, saw what ya did back at the Vytal Festival, nice moves," She winked, then she froze, chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry, my manners went off there, names Violet Hawthorn, and this be my big girl, Naga, best ship there is."
She leaned over the side of the railing, while I did the same. "What the hell's a 'Scaldron'?"
"Well, guess you've never been out this far, huh?" Violet asked, noting my head shaking, so she frowned, pointing down to the darker spots of the ocean. "They're the ones that rule these waters, some of the most volatile Grimm, since they don't have a reason to hunt people, if they can see ya, then you're as good as dead."
"Not only are they massive, slender sharks, but they have jagged bones sticking from their fins, may not do much to harm you or me, but to a ship or person without a forcefield around them, well, it's going to be messy," She explained, before she seemed to shiver. "Then there's their breath attacks, firing bursts of scalding water from heated glands, turning any person into an overcooked mess in only a few shots. I know that the captain before me found out the hard way..."
"Sorry to hear that." I felt bad for her, can't really blame me, when you see someone you know die right before your eyes, that never goes away, Penny did, and Pyrrha nearly ended up the same way, but that was still too close. Death is very real, and no one can gamble away from it. But, she smiled a little
"Thanks. You know, I have a feeling you got something important to do, I don't know why, guess I just have that sense with new people - Or that's my semblance going off again, has a way of tapping into someone's mind, nothing too crazy though." She shrugged, before turning to go back to her job, then she clicked her tongue. "Oh right, I almost forgot!"
"If you happen to see any blue marks on the rocks ahead, let me know! Trust me, if we get caught in those places we might as well be served on a plate!" She warned, before walking back up the stairs ahead of her.
"Blue markers...? Wait, she said she can read minds?" I pondered to myself. "Penny, where are we right now?"
"We're on a direct course for the lowest sector of Anima! With about two days ahead of us, why?" No Penny, I mean, where exactly is the region that we're heading? "Oh, right!"
"Anima's lowest region, Nimbus, is home to mostly villages, and mountainous terrain, with forests covering the rest, if not for a few beaches, or towns. But we have to head due North to go anywhere else." Penny explained to me, as I thought of different ways to avoid getting lost or trapped along the mountains, including what Grimm I may encounter
*CREEK-THUD-THUD*
I froze at the shaking of the boat, it was small, but we hit something along our path, but what? I mean, some shallow areas could be near, but this far out to sea? Then again there are a few rock formations around.
"S-S-Sky~" I heard Eric shakily asked me, halting my investigation
"What Eric?" I asked in a rushed tone, only to picture him shakily pointing a finger down at the water. So I looked, and for a moment, I didn't react, since I almost didn't see the crimson glare that grew bigger as it sped towards my head. "Nooooooooope!"
I threw myself back, just in time to watch as my world slowed, the white underbelly of a massive Grimm flying over me, its crooked teeth missing me by inches. Then the massive body flew over me, and over the whole boat, I regained my senses at the splash, seeing the distressed Captain run out to look over the railing above me.
"Dammit! I didn't think we were this close to its gathering!" She cursed before she looked at me. "Sky! Think you can hold it off until we get through the rocks!?"
"Won't it just follow us!?" I retorted, the boat rocking violently with more gusto, this thing really hated us
"No! Unlike most Grimm, it's only able to gain its speed from rapids in these rocky areas, if we can clear them, we'll out-sail it!" Ok, good plan. I nodded and took off toward the stern, watching anxiously at the white fin slicing through the waves, that crimson stare never faltering under the thrashing waves. "Someone get down there and fix the leaks!"
Taking a stand I activated Iron Regalia and took to the skies above, following the ship closely for any sign of the Scaldron. But after only flying just above the deck, my systems went nuts. From behind me, I watched as the water struck my face with a powerful burst, the massive jaws of the slim shark open wide. Pushing back with my hands I strayed to my left, seeing it plunge into the waves below again.
From what I saw, it had a white underbelly, with black around the rest. Its head was covered in a bone plate, jutting out like a horn near the front, with crimson energy crossing its face. Small round bones dotted its body like ramming armour, with jagged bones lining the fronts of its fins, including the top with a sharp spine.
"Ok, new plan!" I shook my head, diving toward the waves, bubbles rose and my eyes widened too. Instinctively I drew my blades, blocking with my forearms as the large fin struck vertically, sending a clang through the air. The body turned sharply, the tail slapping my back onto the deck, hard. "Oww..."
The Scaldron flew high again, body curved in an attempt to lacerate the stern further, I flipped and fired off two ice blasts to stop it, joined by several explosive arrows behind me, seeing the combined effort throw the Grimm off course and back into the water. To my left, Summer arrived, Rose/Thorn drawn back with three more arrows.
"And here I thought today would be relaxing... aww, well," Summer shrugged, hopping atop the railing to inspect the water. "Sky, take to the... sky, and see if you can't draw it out!"
"Pun aside, sure!" With a salute I took flight, the Scaldron did a full circle around the ship, it was trying to target me first since I was the biggest threat
"Try freezing the water, it may slow it down." You got it, Iota
In a volley I unloaded two dozen blasts of cryo down onto the ocean's current, creating a wall between the ship and the Grimm. Sadly, the ice shattered, that hardened skull was the perfect ram. It was on a crash course with me, the jaw unhinging far wider than possible, from its gut a precise beam of scalding water melted the ice I threw toward it, striking my chest with enough force to pound me into one of the jagged spires of rock with ease, the tip collapsing completely.
From my vantage point, large torrents of water flew high from Summer's explosive-tipped arrows, the nimble Grimm swimming past each and every one. Flicking itself around again it took an arrow to the head, causing another sharp spray of water to miss me, although it did slice the rock above me in two.
Bracing myself on the small podium of rock, the waves stilled as the ship slowly sailed closer, my eyes watching the water carefully with frost trickling from my fingers. The bubbles dotted the waves, it was close but I couldn't make out a shadow.
. . .
. . .
*...swish...*
Checkmate. At the sound, I spun backward in the air, my eyes falling on the upside-down Grimm, its maw opened wide again, so I decided to play along, channeling a large amount of ice between my palms I propelled the ball into its mouth, seeing it make contact with the water inside. The result was a reaction of ice erupting inside its mouth, some spikes piercing the soft flesh within. With a hiss, it plummeted back beneath the waves. I managed to scare it off, but my eyes widened at its new target. The ship!
"Guess it's now or never! Frenzy!" I called out, my wings vanished, sending me flying towards the deep blue below me, under the current I could make out a shadow pursuing me at an increasing pace, while the black skin snaked across my body. "Gotchya."
With an animalistic scream, my tendrils pierced the water with ease, sinking clean into something that tugged me into the depths sharply, clearly not liking the sudden attachment. Half-submerged in the ocean I tugged back on my tendrils, utilizing my semblance to increase my power output even more. Struggling against the force of this oversized fish, I finally reined it in, my head basking in sunlight again whilst the Grimm surfaced as well, now tugging me along for the ride. It remained unphased, eyes locked with the ship while avoiding each arrow produced by Summer.
Adjusting to my new environment, my feet fanned out, skating across the waves with the once bony feet now webbed. If not for the lives at stake this would be the most fun I've had in a while, so taking control I wrapped my own tendrils around my wrists and yanked back on the reins, the Grimm's body turning from the force I applied, as its fin narrowly scraped the side of the hull, both of us creating a large wave of water to splash the hull instead. I flew up on deck, grinding my feet along the railing while using the Scaldron as a counterbalance.
Then I came flying off the stern again, flipping in the air as I did to slowly revert back to Iron Regalia, my wings holding strong this time while I used the velocity and gravity to adjust the trajectory of the Grimm. Grunting from the sheer weight of the shark, I found myself swinging the massive Grimm out from under the waves, slamming it into the side of a rock spire, then up and above my head, even as it sprayed scalding water in vain to regain control.
With a twist of my body my wings fanned down with my arms, my once tendrils now chains, caught inside of the Scaldron and dragging it toward its demise. With a sickening plunge, the head of the shark slammed into a rocky spire, impaling it through the head and out multiple sections of its body, quickly turning it into black smog in seconds.
*Cheering - Clapping*
With a slight stumble, I slid back onto the stern, armor deconstructing as I coughed, not expecting so much praise, but it was good to know nothing serious had occurred.
"Anyone want sushi?" Eric offered up a pun only three of us heard
"Go to Hell" Iota spat back while I chuckled
Yet above us, high in the clouds my gaze caught the glimpse of something shiny, now, it might just be the adrenaline, but I swore something was watching us from up high. Like black feathers?
"Mmm..."
Later that day
"Thank you for saving us, we can't really express how grateful we are." The man bowed, while I did my best to not seem embarrassed, although my attention soon fell on the small girl standing behind his leg. So I knelt down to her level, smiling softly to her
"Hey, it's ok, that bad Grimm is gone now," I spoke softly, seeing her peek out, inspecting me with wonder in her eyes. She was a bat Faunus, had cute, little pointed ears and a small set of wings too. I reached out and ruffled her black hair, standing back up. "As long as I'm here, I'll protect you, okay?"
She nodded, looking a little more relaxed as I nodded to the man, he smiled assuringly at his daughter then they walked away, but not before the little girl waved back at me with a bashful smile, the two wandering back inside. That... was nice, knowing someone like her was okay made this day less of a distraction.
"She reminds you of someone?" Gah! I nearly jumped again at Violet's appearance, causing her to smirk. "How you survived on a team with girls must be good fortune. Or dumb luck like today."
"Its a bit of both, but yeah, she reminds me of one of my teammates, she was Faunus, only a cat instead," I answered while I rested against the wall, Summer walking over in silence. "I hope she's ok, along with the others."
"You miss them? I'm guessing you left for your own reasons?" I nodded, as she sat against the wall too. "Heh, heard some rumors of a Huntsmen fighting that big dragon that attacked the school, said he or she was wearing a suit of black and purple armor. Wonder if that rumor is true?"
I couldn't restrain a smirk. "I guess we'll never know." That made her snort a laugh, patting my shoulder
"Ah, I love this job! Always meet some interesting faces - Still, whatever your reasons are for being out here, I bet its gonna make a splash again, although, let's hope its for a far brighter reason." Amen to that. With a funny salute, Violet made her way for the stairs once again. "Hey, now, call me a crazy captain or what-not, but you keep moving forward, for your team, that's the best thing you can do."
She was right, and Summer's knowing smile meant she felt the same way. "I will, thanks."
With a tip of the hat, she took off. "Enjoy the rest of the journey! And no more Grimm attacks, thank you, Naga can only take so much punishment for one day!"
"What a day..." I sighed, slumping down the wall onto my ass, all while Summer twirled an ax around
"Just another day at the office." Hardy-har...
To Be Continued...
Silent Slender Presents...
RWBY: Fragments Act V
Life's Pieces
[OP - Let's Just Live]
What a crazy way to start this adventure, wouldn't you say? With the Team nearing Anima, things will only get crazier, as we find more dangers awaiting them. I hope you enjoyed, and seeya all in the next chapter Huntsmen!
Next Chapter: Black Skies
Upon arriving in Anima, Sky and Summer take off on their final journey toward their destination. Along the way through, their journey will not be so clean-cut. Death has arrived.