Act V - Life's Pieces
Chapter 44 - The Enemy of Hope...
"You know something? This trial I half expected it to be some ironic moral lesson, maybe a few traps or an army of Grimm, but this-" I motioned to Gambit still sitting on his chair, and he was kind enough to offer us stools. "'This', was not one of them."
"Come oooon, you know you missed me?" Gambit's eyes curved, nudging my arm
I crossed my arms. "I met you once, and that still made no sense to me." All his card tricks meant something leading up to the Breach, and he somehow predicted some of our actions or atleast our roles in the event. "What are you?"
He looked surprised. "I'm a Nightmare, kinda in the title..." He leaned close to Amber. "He's very slow on the uptake?" His subtlety could use some work
"Incorrect. I believe this was a form of whit to earn a rise from you." ...Thank you... Penny. "Your welcome!" Ugh...
Pinching the bridge of my nose I asked. "What Is a Nightmare, Gambit?"
He shrugged. "We're like Grimm, made of dark matter and all the icky things in the Multiverse, we latch onto hosts and feed off of souls and emotions. Corrupting worlds and leaving many civilizations in ruin is most Nightmares' motive, some, like myself, find a more practical way to life. Bonding with hosts and becoming stronger as a result." His grin widened with a pat to his chest. "I happen to be the second most intelligent lifeform in the Multiverse, hence my, 'Card Tricks'."
How did - Did he just - Again, he chuckled mockingly.
"I am who I am because there is no other entity alive that can stop me," He worded that darkly, eyes narrowed down on us both, even I felt a chill crawl around my soul. "But you're in luck! I'm a Nightmare that specializes in deals and trade, your souls aren't worth anything to me!" In an instant, the atmosphere returned to normal
"What can we bargain with?" Amber turned to me, brow raised. "Is there anything of value we have? My guess is that he won't be willing to part with any information or wares unless we do."
"She's right~" He sang, warping away to one of the many shelves of books, a tail swishing behind him. "Take your time I'm still waiting on another contractual obligation to arrive."
"This is a problem," Iota grumbled. "We're flat broke." Yeah, say for a few Lien but I doubt he needs money
Resting my hand on my chin I furrowed my brow, contemplating Gambit's word on both his intelligence and wares. Sure, we have no reason not to take his word, but it's not as if I'm open to trusting some creature that apparently is made like the Grimm.
"'Why trust something whose kind can destroy worlds', is that about right?" I jumped at Gambit's remark in the background, his back to us. "Nightmares are capable of lies that unless you're divine or have been hosting a Nightmare yourself, you'd never be able to differentiate a lie and truth."
"He's sharp... very sharp." Iota, are you... "Nervous? Heh, guess I am. I'm still the embodiment of logic, and its clear he either using something to read our minds or his IQ is so high he can predict a multitude of answers and discern which action we'd most likely have chosen."
"Smart thinking, Sky, but it's fine, Gambit's always been trustworthy, even if his methods are unorthodox." A familiar voice rang through the chamber as we spun round to find Summer and Albatross smiling proudly at us. He offered us a thumbs up in congratulation. "You did really well, I'm glad you're both unharmed too."
"It... wasn't easy," The two of us shared a look, Amber nodding for me to continue. "The Myriad, it... made me - us, see our worst fears, and I almost fell for it."
"As did I," Amber broke a small smile. "Summer... you've taken care of me for so long, and I feared that someday you'd have abandoned me if I ever became useless... maybe that was my mentality of wanting to be useful to... anyone." She shook her head. "I know now that was only my own lingering doubts attempting to persuade me otherwise."
Summer looked relieved to hear that. "I would never abandon you, Amber, I know you've felt a form of disconnection since the memories of my family returned," She huntress knelt beside her apprentice, squeezing her shoulder warmly. "But you're just as important to me as they are."
Amber's tail swayed happily at that. "I'm glad, thank you."
"Yes-Yes, overcoming fears and stuff is pretty handy when faced with - oh I don't know - the end of the world?" Gambit broke the mood as he sat in the air, upside down, arms crossed. "So, what do you want to know? I'm all ears!"
"Wait, I thought you needed something in return for information?" I questioned, then noticed the box in his hands, as he happily tapped his fingers to the container, eyes wide with curiosity
"Sunny here promised me these things called 'Cookies', and my last venture with sweets was divine! Such products shouldn't be squandered so she promised me a whole box of them!" He was like a completely different person, acting on the pretenses of a child than some powerful monster
Summer wiggled her finger with a smug expression. "My best work to date if I'm being honest, freshly baked too."
That had Gambit radiating with stars. "Ooo, freshly made too!? Oh ho-ho-ho, I'm starting to like this world more and more, even if only for the cookies!" He clicked the box away, flipping back around to land on his chair. "Alright-Alright, ask away, tin-man!"
I blinked. "O-oh, right, erm..." Guess it's time-
"Wait," Iota? What is it? "He knows everything, right? Then ask him this." A new line of thoughts entered my own, and my eyes widened slightly, complying with Iota's wish I asked
"Gambit, who is Salem?" The question brought a round of perplexed expressions, but no one spoke up as Gambit narrowed his eyes
"Interesting... well, color me impressed - It was likely you'd have started with the Vex, asking about Salem was roughly second place." He wavered his hand left and right
"What as the third?" Albatross inquired, earning a chuckle from the Nightmare
"What came first, the chicken or the egg, but I'm assuming that was Eric's question, to which I reply, the chicken," Seriously Eric?
"Whaaat, I was curious! But now I know everything!" Eric was lost to us, then Gambit jabbed a finger at Albatross, shutting his mid-reply down
"Don't sass me, cyborg, your little quips don't work on me, I'm the being that invented them!" I can't tell if Gambit's being serious or just egocentric. "Both, thank you for your nonverbal input, Bluey." How intelligent is this guy!?
Clearing his throat, Gambit waved his arms wide, and the world faded to black, as mirrors of all shapes and sizes conjured images of Remnant, civilizations I had never laid eyes on, and people with magic and constructs straight from a high-fantasy realm. Was this what Remnant was like long ago? Magic does exist in fragments now, so this must have been centuries ago.
"This is Remnant!" Summer gaped at the spectacle, as one larger image came into view, a woman with fair skin, pale platinum blonde hair, and light blue eyes. She wore most her hair in a half up-done bun style, with a small, simple bun on the top, and the remainder of her long, straight hair hanging at the bottom. Most of her bangs were tied back, barring several large locks that framed her face to her left. "Is that...?"
"Salem was once a lonely girl locked away in a tower in the middle of a battled-scarred glade. Until a man with a pure heart found her," The image changed, showing a man with tanned skin with messy brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue-green tunic with a tan undershirt, a blue cape, and black trousers with brown boots. Both his tunic and cape are outlined with golden markings. Over this, he wears metal armor held by brown belts and straps. The armor is etched with ornamental patterns.
"Rescuing her the two battled their way free of the prison the girl had known for so long, and a cage she thought impossible to break free of. The knight, Ozma, was a man who would risk is life for those in need, now, he had someone worth fighting for, and strangely enough, Salem found her freedom, but in the eyes of her savior." The image showed the two walking away from the fortress, hand-in-hand. "From there, their love bloomed."
Albatross frowned sadly. "Wait for it..." What did that-
"However, fate is cruel, I should know, she's a pain. Ozma fell terribly ill, despite the countless battles and monsters of darkness that failed before, no amount of magic or aliments could undo the damage of a single sickness that, tragically, took his life, leaving Salem alone once more, distraught and burning with sorrow." The image was that of Salem, Ozma's staff held gently in her arms beside an empty bed, and I felt my eyes waver at the sight, a pain rising in my chest
"Salem hoped that, if the brother Gods, one of creation and light, the other of destruction and darkness, would see the injustice of such a fate that befell Ozma, so, she traversed the lands, passing through into the land of the God of Light, a sacred hallowed place no other human had ever traversed." The image changed
A sacred land of golden grass, a large, elder tree of radiant leaves that fell forever atop a crystal clear pool of life itself, summoned from the life that brewed on the water, a man, standing taller than any human could, stepped forward, body pure gold and with antlers atop his head, eyes pure silver.
"The God of Light, seeing Salem beg him to undo fate's cruel design for Ozma, he... refused, as a balance must be maintained, without it, life would fall apart," In the image, Salem looked to the God with anger and sorrow, yelling at the unfairness of it all, as one single life would not bring ruin. But he told her, to let him go, and she was sent back to the very steps she once climbed. "She refused."
Another setting, and now... the land was rot and darkened by red skies and jagged crystals of pure chaos, strange, black pools... gave rise to the Grimm! All watched hungrily as Salem traversed the land, wary of the forsaken land no being would enter, and this intrigued the younger brother of darkness to reveal himself.
His body dark purple, skinny with twisted horns. "The God of Darkness heeded her sorrow, and saw fit to reward her faith, and before her, Ozma returned to her." Then the God of Light appeared, the two argued and bickered over Ozma's life, eventually... they turned their heads to the woman behind it all, what I found surprising, was the God of Light's eyes... shining just like Ruby's
"They cursed Salem with immortality, until the day she would finally understand the value of life and death... she did nothing of the sort," Images all around us flashed, her attempts on her life, the desire to vengeance, and the subsequent lies she fed humanity, army tens of thousands strong rising to her cause to eradicate the Gods together. "Lies, half-truths, and her curse turned to a gift, she warped the minds of humans, a rather petty vendetta against her own self-destruction of course."
"...She... they can't win," Albatross murmured, himself grim and shaking his head shamefully. "I know the scale of a God's power, they may be World Gods, but they are still leagues above Salem."
"She is a fool." Amber summed up nicely, and Gambit chuckled
"It gets better because the Gods could have easily erased her very existence, they have that power, she is one of their creations, but in some narrow-minded endeavor to have her learn values, she only brought about the largest massacre in Remnant's history."
The final scene, that of the Gods faced by humanity's attacks, and how easily the God of Darkness found his own gift used against him, held in the palm of his claws. He, in a single strike, eradicated humanity off every speck of the world, leaving only Salem, alone, immortal.
"They just... left?" Shattering the Moon in the process as its shards rained down upon the world, and suddenly, it all came to make sense. The Dust's magical properties, Aura, Semblances, Faunus, and the uncontrollable Grimm that rose from Pools of Annihilation, how Salem... rose from the pool in vain to end her life, and became the very visage of destruction herself. "They did this... all of this is their fault."
"Salem is an embodiment of destruction," Summer grimaced, rubbing a hand over her eyepatch. "That much clarity is clear... she should have learned but instead decided to fight against her creators, this was always her doing, but... they could have easily removed her."
I scoffed, "Yeah, but they decided to play the 'Life Lesson' and now doomed countless innocent people today to her chaos, thank you so very much your holy fucking bickering idiots!" I yelled to the sky, in some foolish attempt to give them the middle finger. Pinching my nose I motioned to the irate Nightmare. "Sorry, continue."
"Hmph, I concur with you so it's fine, to summarize. The Gods gave your world four relics, Creation, Destruction, Choice, and Knowledge, if brought together they'd summon them back to judge humanity, lets just say, better not summon them right now, you guys suck at working together," Gambit borderline insulted us, but he wasn't wrong, we're prone to conflict, that's humanity's very existence, we create and destroy, just like the Gods
"So why does Salem want the Relics?" Amber asked ahead. "She cannot win, or does she plan to use the Relics for her own gain? A being who is immortal and with a desire to destroy would certainly find the Relics advantageous."
Summer smiled warily, raising her hand. "Is no one else thinking about how humanity was inherently 'born' from dust? Faunus too? No, just me? Seriously?"
"Not quite the important detail, Sunny." Albatross murmured, causing her to slump
"Oh, right..."
Shaking my head, I noticed Gambit's raised brow, smile twisted toward me. "Hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm~"
"Gambit?" He blinked, sitting back. "What is the Vex? It's motive, name, everything?"
Gambit. Posture straight and charismatic expression to boot, his eyes narrowed critically of the question. This was it, the real truth of this Vex, Salem was one thing, but nothing else mattered if this thing broke free of its prison.
"Before humanity back then was created, the Gods wanted a being that would act as their 'Speaker', a being that could guide, teach, and guard humanity down a peaceful path. The Vex, with powers similar to that of its creators, was created, with a human body comprised of ether, and a destructive, monstrous form manifested in dark matter, he was to be their greatest success."
"I'm waiting for the 'But'." Eric muttered in my head
"But, that very motive, the unwavering drive for a perfect, peaceful existence led the Vex into a state of obsession over balance, when humanity first began, it had achieved its goal, guiding and defending its masters' creations, but as more arrived, and kingdoms formed from villages, as countries and tribes reined, it lost its ability to maintain peace, battles between nations broke here and there, and it couldn't understand why the Gods did nothing, saying this was 'intentional' as no true state of 'Peace' can ever be achieved without chaos to balance the scales."
"In time, the Vex turned to forcibly regulate the kingdoms, manipulating their trust and faith, and disposing of those that opposed his insane vision of an ideal world without flaws. His desire led them to divide the light and dark halves of the Vex, locking them away before their own creation could outstrip their own control and bring complete annihilation to humanity." Gambit sat back, his chamber appearing once more in color. "In the end, he was imprisoned, forced to watch parallels worlds and his own timeline sway back and forth like the sea's current."
"His name. Charron the Equalizer." Three words and I felt my feet sink into the floor. "Grimm can't speak. Myriad Grimm can't communicate. Who do you think was talking to you both back in that cave?"
My pupils slowly dilated as I felt my muscles lock in place. "Y-You don't mean?"
Gambit nodded once. "He's finally deciding to make his move, clearly he sees you as a threat now, and that clock of yours is wrong." His tail whipped forward, tapping to the glass display to bring up the projection, and soon the blood ran out of my face, and my heart skipped several beats
[System Alert]
Time Remaining...
00 Days | 11 Hours | 01 Minutes
"My God...!" Albatross gaped, as Summer and Amber looked to me with horror written on their faces
"Kai... this, this isn't real, right?" Iota trembled. "How did we not detect a change? Is this because it's made of the Vex itself?"
"I... think it is; P-Penny? You there?" Eric gulped, as I felt their own eyes locked with despair as I was
"...Sky, my... my calculations, the probability - I-I didn't - How could the systems be overruled?" Penny was lost and confused, even her sprite reflected fear
Gambit sat back, crossing one leg over the other with a smile. "This is gonna get interesting... seems you've been played."
I'm... going to die in under twelve hours? I, I've had the time and it was all for nothing? If we didn't encounter Gambit, then I would have doomed everything to... Charron (Char-ron). I, what can I do now? I don't know where he is or how to stop him. What else does he have waiting? He could just stall for time and he'd be free to reunite with his other half.
I dared not to lift my head, still allowing the countdown to sink into my eyes, rooting me to the floor as the seconds ticked by. This was it, Charron would be free, I failed and I hadn't even made a single move, I didn't need to, Charron played me since the moment I attached Cognitum to my arm. How long has he just sat and watched me play the hero, saving lives, believing that my actions were actually making a difference? Was I even in control anymore?
Stepping away for a moment, I took in the many collections Gambit had piled up an uncountable amount of years, even things I knew all too well. Relics and treasures that made for a hunter's lifelong dream. All of this was built from nothing, and not everything here was perfect, some were scarred, burned, and dented, put through torment time and again to rest here.
"..." What am I supposed to do? Iota? "..." Eric? "..." Penny? "..."
"Your story may not have had a bright beginning," Beside me, Albatross stood by as I held my head low. "Your pages have been filled with torment, grief, suffering," I felt his eyes on me. "But that doesn't make you who you are, but who you are now, and what you chose to be, that is what defines you," His finger to Cognitum. "And what you chose to do now."
What do I choose?
You're kind, you can be sensitive in your own way and you always strive to be better than who you were, what you've done isn't selfish, it's just who you are...
"Form One, Iron Regalia." Seething the command I stepped backward toward Gambit, my sky blue eyes narrowed. "Gambit, can you open a gateway to where this Vex is? I've asked everything I need to know."
He didn't seem phased at all, smiling with a laugh. "Knew you'd say that," He stood up, cracking his fingers. "One high-quality rift to an egocentric Vex comin' right up!"
"Wait, you're going there now?" Amber spoke up, looking to me in disbelief as a felt a sharp wind tug at my armor from the swirling vortex, Albatross smiling knowingly to me as he withdrew his dark blade, and I swore I saw Gambit shiver at the sight, gagging
Summer hummed with uncertainty crossing her face. "This seems risky, if he is expecting this it may very well end horribly."
No. "I'm done waiting, he wants to screw with my life then so be it, I'm coming straight for him," Turning around I put my arms out. "Look, I don't want to hear any of you convince me otherwise, I know this is reckless and stupid, and I'm walking straight into his hands, but frankly I don't give a crap what he thinks!"
The eyes of Iron Regalia flickered. "All my life I had no sense of direction, I felt... like I was useless, that nothing I'd ever contribute to would amount to anything. Then I woke up in Remnant, I was respected, had friends I could trust, my confidence restored and I really felt I was doing right. I even found someone I love... something I never could have hoped for... I was drowned by the weight of the Horsemen and the Vex, but they always pulled me out, they were there for me when I needed them most. That's something no other person could control or manipulate."
"It's time we returned the favor." Iota chimed in smoothly. "Red... Ruby, never gave up on us, and neither will we."
"For Team RWBYS, JNPR, CFVY, all of them!" Eric cackled worse than Gambit
"You saved me from going offline permanently, there is more I wish I could thank you for properly so I will offer up all I can to assist you!" Penny too with her sprite offering a stern salute
Turning to face the vortex, I offered one last look to Gambit. "Thank you... for warning me," I said with honesty
He waved a hand. "It's my job to keep people like you from destroying the Multiverse, here," He tossed me three small, silver coins with a blue gem fixed in the center. "Consider it a reward for entertaining me so much, they're rift tokens, good for popping rifts down for quick escapes."
"Thank you," I bowed, then craned my head to find Amber, Albatross, and Summer beside me. "...I'm sorry."
Albatross slapped my back. "Don't be, I told you I'm here to help, but... I also get it, the feeling of someone lording over your life," He raised his sword. "Whatever happens, I'll stand with you."
"You wanted to help me reconnect with my past... I tried to manipulate you, but you never gave up on me, thank you." Summer smiled, wearing a face I knew too well from Ruby when at the precipice of a fight
"You... are a good friend," Amber muttered bashfully, standing at the edge of the gateway with her rifle in-toe. "We do this together."
"Right!" "Agreed." "Let's do this!" "Combat Ready!" "Here we go again." "Hm-hm, together."
"Happy travels~!" Gambit smiled and waved, then promptly kicked the lot of us through abruptly
Color streaked past in a blur, a tunnel snaking through time and space as our cries echoed far and wide into the ether, Albatross just smiled, legs crossed with his hands behind his head. I was spinning constantly while Summer did her best to hold her hood close to her face, looking greener, while Amber used her wings to adjust her flight pattern.
"You get used to it, heads up!" Albatross echoed over the chaos as the white light crashed into us, and we fell back into Remnant. Groaning, all of us with the exception of Albatross stumbled to our feet
"Is it possible for a split personality inside of someone's subconscious to vomit?" Iota inquired, then grimaced. "Because Eric may have just done so."
"Everything is still multiplying!" Eric's riveting report was shared among us
"We have arrived onto the site of a large unstable region in space-time," Penny alerted me, my sensors back online as I saw Albatross overlooking the world ahead of us
The ground had turned black and coated with ash. Smoke and ash rose from pools and streams of volcanic magma, the black earth ripped and tore into jagged spikes and cliffs that broke away for a large, eerie tower of marble white, the top was smashed to rubble, leaving on the spire and a large pathway broken apart by the landscape, I couldn't even see the entrance anymore.
"Where are we?" Summer murmured, bow drawn. No Grimm, no life at all in this molten landscape, though Amber looked to be right at home, her hand lifting a fistful of ash, sniffing it
"Strange, this ash is fresh, meaning this landscape was burnt away in a matter of hours," Her draconic gaze darkened. "Whatever this tower is, it brought this hellscape with it." To emphasize her point she brushed her foot over the ground, revealing some remnants of grass and dirt
"With the power to terraform this much land in only several hours, we can't let this Vex escape," Albatross enforced. "Otherwise Remnant's looking at a foreboding forecast later."
I sighed. Looking toward the sun, blackened by the storm above, bolts striking inside the hurricane. The chime of a clock ticking in my head with each second of silence was deafening. This was it, wasn't it?
"...Start a message for me, Penny." All eyes looked to me, but I kept mine fixed to the tower
"A-are you sure-"
"I am. Please."
"Recording." With that, I looked away from Amber's confused gaze, looking off at the sun
"Hey, guys. By the time you gain this message, I'd have already done what I intended to do, I won, beat the living shit out of what I can only describe as a world-ender, all thanks to Mars, imagine that? I know, crazy how the bad guy turned out to be helping me this whole time. Still, this... might not end the way I intended it to, I'm at a loss."
"When I...came into this world, I was a mess of mistrust and self-doubt, I envy all your talents over my broken ones, I was given pity, remorse, all the other comforts I never wanted, but with all of you, I... I became someone else. The person I buried under my memories of knowing nothing but violence, lies, and dread, you all made that change into what I've become, given me memories I could never live without. These make up my story, who I am, not just another person from another world, not just a maiden's son, but me. Yeah, turns out I'm related to one, who knew, right?"
"I can't say I will make it back, but if I can end this, stop all of this from happening, all that I leave behind will be enough to get you through this..." I turned back to my friends, smiling sadly at their expressions of worry. "I believe that."
I laughed a little, feeling a flutter in my chest.
"It's funny, how it took me so long to realize what I wanted to be, why I chose my path, how I managed to push myself to this point. It was for all of you, Erika, Iota, Eric, Yang, Blake, Weiss... Ruby... I wanted to be that 'so-called hero of the story' you can all be proud of creating, not just because I 'need' to, but because I 'want' to."
"Thank you... and... goodbye..."
To Be Continued...
It may seem like the end is near but there's more to come, I hope you enjoyed seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: The Eleventh Hour
Sky and his friends storm the prison of the Vex, Charron. Now, he makes his move.