Ghost Soldier(discontinued)

by Commissar Arty

Assassin, spectre, Myth. No one knows where he came from. All they know is that you better hope to never meet him on bad terms

5. Ash

Man, procrastination's a bitch innit?

X

The armory in Beacon was essentially a multi tool. You could build, repair, add onto, or destroy any weapon with ease and for free. The caveat was that modifications had to be simple because of the lack of specialized machines. Rex had taken weapon maintenance into account while at the school, but had forgotten to go over all his possible modifications for his gauntlets. Because of that slip up, he lacked the proper supplies for modification. He sat and Brainstormed ideas for a work around, but was quickly running out of patience and time before class started. Rex sighed, perhaps the modification wasn't needed. "You have a perfect line to any help you need, yet you never call." Rex turned in his swivel chair to face the new voice. "It's almost like you don't like me." Imperator walked over to the desk Rex sat at. He quickly looked over the blueprints spread the table before looking to Rex. "What are you making?"

"My shield is kinda transparent so I can tell what's on the other side. I wanted to make it a sort of one way mirror design. So I can see my opponent but they can't see me."

"I can make that for you free of charge... well, almost free of charge."

"Oh, how much money?"

"Not money." Rex crossed his arms and sat back in the chair.

"Oh, do you need my heart next?" Rex pushed as much sarcasm into his voice as he could.

"No, just your lungs." Rex almost scoffed, until he realized Imperator wasn't joking. He stood up and stared at the black cloaked figure.

"And this won't damage me?"

"No, but it will hurt. Much more than your last title did."

"And I will get a new title?"

"Yes Brother Black, and a new ability to boot." Rex put his head in his hands and sighed.

"Alright, let's do it." Imperators cloak lengthened and fell in front of him. Much like last time, a tendril lengthened and protruded from his figure. It slithered through the air towards his chest slowly and deliberately. Rex watched the tip of it as it got close, wondering how it would get to his lungs. It wouldn't exactly be simple, as it was protected by ribs, flesh, and muscle, but it would be interesting to see how Imperator would bestow his "Title." Maybe he would phase through his chest, perhaps he would send it down his throat. His imagination did little to comfort him. Imperator's actual way of giving him a title was much more barbaric then what he imagined. The tendril momentarily stopped right infront of his chest... and then drove straight through and dug into his lungs. Rex fell to his knees in pain. Imperator wasn't done however, as another tendril shot down and widened the hole in his chest. "Hhhrrk, gah!"

"Come now Rex, its not that bad." Rex had started to choke and flail about. He grabbed at the foreign objects lodged in his chest, but the would budge. Just when he started to black out from oxygen deprivation...he became able to breath again. With his respiratory problem solved, he looked down at the hole in his chest. Red sludge poured from it. Not blood, sludge with the consistency of watery mashed potatoes. It all fell into the darkness of Imperators cloak. Saying that it was absorbed by the cloak might actually be a better way of describing it. After a minute of Chest drainage Imperator spoke, "Well, now that that's done we need to fix this hole. I hope you like new abs." The tendrils sheared off and sort of melted into his body, mending the broken bones and flesh. Then it formed a layer over his chest similar to reinforced abs. "There, now you have a armored front."

Rex stood and brushed himself off, "That wasn't pleasant."

"I'm proud of you though, you didn't scream."

"It wasn't for lack of trying I assure you."

"Humble, we both know you've been through worse."

"A story for later."

"I won't pry, now, onto your gift." Imperator took Rex's shield into his hands. Black liquid flowed out of his arms and over the shield until nothing showed. The liquid angrily churned for awhile. After a minute or two the liquid receded into imperator's arms and he gave Rex's shield back. It looked the same.

"What did you do?"

"Well, now you can change between see through and mirror at will. Give it a try." Rex eyed the shield carefully before picking it up. The shield changed, but he couldn't figure out how to change it back.

"How do I..."

"...Change the mode? It's quite easy, you only need to think about what you want it to do. There are no buttons, just you." Bringing the shield to eye level, Rex once again tried to Change it. This time it obeyed his every command. "Well, now onto your new title," He placed his hand above Rex's head, "From this day forward, you shall shed the name Brother Black. You shall instead inherit the name, Heir of Night! Now, I have a mission for you."

Rex looked up at Imperator, "I'm yours to command."

X

Rex sat in the cafeteria eating breakfast and reading from the folder Imperator gave him. He had gotten up before his team, so he sat alone in a corner of the spacious building. People looked at him out of the corner of their eyes and mumbled to each other about the fight he had with Yang. Rumors had already hijacked the story, and apparently he had either beaten Yang with the power of his mind or bitch slapped her until she gave up. The strangest of all the stories was that he had convinced her to beat herself up. Long story short, he had a little bit of infamy to his name now. Hopefully the stories would stop people from picking fights with him. The whispering suddenly stopped, and then began again with many saying something about Ruby? Rex turned around towards the door and the rest of the room to find out what the commotion was about. Ruby and her team walked right towards him. Ohhhh they were talking about RWBY... that would get confusing.

Ruby stopped right in front of him and stared into his eyes, "Hi Rex."

"Hullo."

"Can we sit with you?"

"Certainly." Weiss became very apprehensive. She whispered to her leader

"Didn't we come to make him apologize to your sister?"

Ruby thought for a second before realizing her mistake, "Oh right! Rex?" He stood and looked around for the blonde in question. She was nowhere to be found.

"Your sister... isn't here." Weiss and Blake took a break from glaring at him and parted to reveal a very meek looking Yang. Sensing her sudden detection, Yang took a step away from Rex while looking at Weiss and Blake with utter betrayal. Gone was the confident fighter that was going to wipe the floor with him. What stood infront of him was a scared kid. The cafeteria was deadly silent, none dared to move lest they spark a slaughter. Yang looked absolutely petrified. Ruby stood by, watching closely. Weiss and Blake were ready to attack Rex should he try anything. A moment of silence passed and brought with it such a tense situation the air could be cut with a knife. How fitting

Rex sighed, and then spoke, "It has been a long standing tradition in my family to give a weapon to a worthy opponent as a sign of peace. A way to show them that you're not enemies, but comrades." Rex drew a black and gold knife from his cloak and stepped towards Yang. Her bodyguards, Weiss and Blake, stopped him.

"Oh no no no, you're not getting anywhere near her with that knife." Weiss stated this like he was completely powerless against her. Blake was a bit more cautious and opted to just stand ready. The three were at a complete standstill. The girls did not dare to move against him, he was using all his patience to not just bat them out of the way. The entire cafeteria was frozen in anticipation. Some people even stopped to look so quickly their forks were halfway to their mouths. Without outside help, the cafeteria might of been stuck like this forever.

Good thing a couple of his team mate were searching for him.

The cafeteria doors busted open and a banshee by the name of Fae stepped through. "Reeeexxxxx!"

Did he say searching? He meant hunting.

Everyone in the cafeteria turned to the rest of team FLYR's arrival, presenting Rex with an opportunity to break through the wall protecting Yang. With deft agility he moved between them and grabbed Yang by the arm. After giving her a quick spin so she had her back to Weiss and Blake. Rex then stood infront of her. "Hey!" Blake had noticed and moved to grab him.

"Guys, stop!" Ruby called out. Weiss and Blake turned to face their leader.

"But he'll hur..."

"No he won't, I trust him."

"But..."

"It's fine," Yang had said that. Rex turned and looked into her eyes. Gone was the fear, in its place was reassurance. "If Ruby trusts him, so do I." She gave a weak smile, one which Rex reciprocated. He gently raised her hands to chest level and placed the knife in it. He turned the blade so it pointed right at him. She stared at his hands clasped around hers and the knife with a wary look. He let go of her and brought out a small scabbard for it. He placed it right below the knife with the open end pointing towards her.

"If you accept my offer of peace, slide the blade into the scabbard. If you don't, stab me, and I won't resist." Immediately she moved to put the blade in it's sheathe. Rex stopped her. "Please think about this. Don't act out of fear or out of what you think others want. You need to act out of your own will and your will alone." With that he repositioned the blade to where it was before. Everyone watched with the upmost interest. Fae had reached them, but froze and watch the interaction with a look of anxiety. After a moment of deliberation, Yang made her choice. She placed the knife in the hilt.

"This is my own choice." With that he smiled and brought her into a embrace. A loud sigh of relief could be heard from Fae, and the cafeteria returned to eating. Rex broke from the hug and pushed the weapon into her hands.

"Should you ever require assistance, don't hesitate to call upon me." With that he turned to the others. "Well, shall we sit?"

While the rest moved to the table, Ruby walked over to Fae. "Hello Fae." Fae looked at the Red Reaper with a tired expression.

"Ruby."

"We're you worried?"

"Why?"

"You sighed." Fae looked over to Rex as he sat next to Yang and sparked up a conversation.

"When he said he wouldn't resist if she tried to stab him... he meant it. He would've gladly died because of a stupid little tradition."

"Really?"

"Really." Ruby thought for a second before turning to the table and walking towards her friends. Fae soon followed.

X

"Imperator." The being in question appeared out of the many shadows of the forest trees.

"You called?" Rex sat on one knee on a clif overlooking a large camp outside of a cave formation.

"Go over the job again."

Imperator walked over and stood by Rex's crouching figure, "This roving cell of White Fang terrorists has moved from place to place, spreading terror all the while. But they recently stopped by this cave and haven't moved in days. Through observation, I have determined that they send two men into the cave a day. Those two never come back out."

"And...? Do I kill them?"

"Yes, but the main goal is finding out why people don't come out of that cave."

"Leave it to me." With that Rex slid down the cliff towards the dead men.

X

A team of PMC's from the SDC were nearing the White Fang camp. They currently sat in their bullhead waiting to be told when they were over the LZ. "Captain?"

"Private?"

"What are we doing again?"

"God dammit Gomez. I already told you!" One of the other soldier called to the tenderfoot with annoyance. The captain stood. It was hard to see in the dim lights of the cabin, but he wore a standard issue grey vest and jumpsuit. Schnee family crests lined his and all his men's uniforms, clearly displaying their allegiance.

"That's alright, I can go over it again with everyone," He pulled a small tablet from a pocket and tapped on it twice, "Our mission is to exterminate all the filthy terrorists in the area. There are reports that the cave they are outside is housing plans for troop movements and raids planned for later this month. Most importantly, the regional commander of the White Fang will be there coordinating operations. This is a high risk op gentlemen, one that will earn us medals." Multiple woops and hollers could be heard within the vtol.

"I'm going to kill me some animals boys!"

"And they'll give us medals for it!" Everyone in the vehicle shared a laugh before the captain brought them back.

"Remember, if your not careful, you'll get a medal AND a body bag! Once we land spread out and cover each other. We're not expected, but they might roll out the good china if they hear our birds."

With that the pilot called out, "Ten seconds!" The cabin became filled with cocking guns and a cool calmness. The bullhead doors opened a second later and rope spilled from the sides. Seven men fast ropped to the ground and set up a perimeter. As the last man got into position the ropes were cut and the vtol flew up into the sky and disappeared into the night. The men brought down their NVG's and set off towards the enemy encampment.

X

Rex looked around the insides of the strangely lighted cave. There were no floodlights he could see, nor any flashlights, but the entire cave was covered in a blue light. Along with being well lighted, the cave was lined with scorch marks. There would be portions of stone completely blackened with sudden abrupt endings going straight into untouched rock. The deeper he delved into the cave system the more scorch marks he found. But that wasn't even the most interesting thing. Ash lay everywhere. After a few minutes of walking the ash eventually built up so much it came to his knees. There was no sign of the people sent into this cave, not even foot prints.

"Imperator." There was no response. "Imperator." Nothing, not even the air moved in the cave. "Imperator!" Wind rushing could be heard quite a ways ahead of him. It came closer and closer, getting louder and louder.

He answered in a panic, "Heir Listen, it hurts to be here so I won't talk for long. There is a mask on your left hip. Put it on and don't take it off. Whatever you do, don't trust her!" Mask? He didn't bring one along. He checked his left hip and sure enough there was a gas mask dangling from his hip. He pulled it off and looked at it. It looked like a regular old military mask. It had one big glass piece for seeing through and two side filtration pieces. It was low tech compared to where he came from, but it worked. After sufficiently inspecting it, he thought about the brief "conversation" with Imperator. Who was "she?" Better yet, why was he so panicked? His thoughts were cut short due to the deafening roar of the wind in the cave. Quickly remembering the instructions of Imperator, he threw on the mask.

The wave of ash hit just as the mask was secured. It seemed to come out of nowhere and materialize right infront of him. The sudden appearance of a semi-solid wall knocked him on his back and into a sea of ash. Visibility was zero, he couldn't even see his hands infront of his face. He suddenly had to fight as the ash pilled on top of him. Struggling to keep above the ocean of ash was only made harder without his ability to see, but he fought until he made it out. Assuming he would come out near the top of the cave, he stuck his hand out to touch the ceiling... only to fall onto his face and hard stone. He could see again, or so he thought. It was pitch black now. This was something he knew how to actually deal with however. He stood and tried to throw up his hood. Ash was immediately dumped into his head. With a sigh he cleaned it out and tried again. Instead of instantly seeing through all the shadows in the room like Imperator had advertised the cloak doing, nothing happened. He was still blind. A little annoyed, Rex pulled a flashlight from one of his vest pockets and turned it on. He could see, but saw nothing but floor. The walls must've been far away because the light only revealed black. Turning around, he saw a large wall of ash higher than his lights range. Other than that, there was no ash in the room. It sounded like a light snow storm in the cave. A soft wind blew through the cave. It would've been peaceful if not for his lack of sight and mask.

"And me." Rex dropped to the ground and looked around for the voice. He couldn't find anyone however. "You think I would reveal myself? How stupid are you?" The voice was like nails against a chalkboard, like metal on metal, like a car crash. But it had a sort of feminine touch, a subtle gentle warmth. Imperators words of warning rung out in his head, so he shut his mouth and stood.

It was dark, maybe he would come now, "Imperator." Nothing, "Imperator!"

"Don't call out his name in my presence!" The cave shook with vigor not even seen in earthquakes. Rex barely managed to stand through the violence. "You're marked by him, I will enjoy killing you." A orange light appeared in the distance. With a sudden rush of wind it got closer. Not waiting for whatever it was, Rex looked around for a place to bunker down. There was a crevasse big enough for him to fit in, so he dived in. It was just in time, as a wave of heat and flames rushed past his head and covered the entire cave.

"If she wants a fight, she has one." Rex raised his gauntlets and attempted to extend the blades. They, however, wouldn't budge. Upon a brief inspection he found that the mechanical bits were choked up by ash. This shouldn't of happened, he built them so they would have this problem! None of their features worked! The shield wouldn't deploy, the gun barrel wouldn't raise, the electricity would work. This wasn't good.

"Oh how sad, the little soldier from another world broke his toys. Your right, they shouldn't jam, but I used some special ash on them. You walked into my house, I only thought it fair that I get a home field advantage." Rex stomped his foot in annoyance. It landed on something hard however. Rex looked down and saw what it was. A standard issue White Fang rifle lay below him.

"Hmm, I found out where all the grunts went." Rex talked to himself as he picked up the weapon. He pulled the bolt back and looked for ash inside. It looked completely pristine. He aimed up into the fire and fired off a shot. It worked.

"Seems I missed one. Your welcome to use it." The Fire let up and Rex poked his head out of the hole. There was a blue light a ways away from him, but it didn't move. Taking his chances, Rex got out of the hole and started towards the light. He brought his gun up and scanned the cave for any movement. There was a rail on the weapon that perfectly fit his light, so he put it on. Now sufficiently lit, he walked slowly. The room was now covered in ash. "From what I've heard, you're quite the soldier. Hundreds of kills, over 100 medals, two entire planets worth of genocides to your name. Perhaps your kill count should be raised, though you didn't look them in the eyes when you killed them so I guess it doesn't count." Rex continued to move towards the light, ignoring the voice. "Oh, the cold shoulder. How fitting. Perhaps another gout of fire is in order." Rex steadily moved forward, completely blowing off the voice. "No, that would be too easy. Lets us instead take a look at your past gouts of fire so to speak." The ash started to pick up. Soon the white substance rised and blinded him again. All he could see was a bright blue light far away from him.

The ash changed in color. He now found himself in a field of dirt and mud. Barbed wire and trenches were all around. Craters littered his surroundings. Bullets flew overhead and tanks rolled past. Dead lay around and blood created puddles. Rex crouched and looked around. This battlefield, where was it? "Oh you should know. This was the first battle for Bollant. Your first command." Rex shook his head

Rex whispered, "Don't Listen to her." To himself and stood. The blue light was still infront of him, so he kept moving. The light got closer.

"Perhaps the horrors of war won't break you, my mistake. We could try having you face the souls of those you killed, but that wouldn't break you either. Maybe...". The scene changed and he found himself in the swirling ash again. He walked forward, only to bump into a wall. The ash dissipated and revealed a small pantry with a door. The light was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing in the closet but booze, so it didn't offer any help to the boy. He walked over to the door and tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. Rex gave a simple kick to it, and it splintered. Perhaps this house was abandoned, though it did look familiar.

"I told you I wanted booze!" A slap rang out, as well as a very familiar voice. They were in the next room, and Rex had no idea how to get there. It seemed as he were in a second pantry, though this one smelled of blood and sweat. It was dark here. The room you were in before wasn't lit either, but Rex didn't even really think about it. His cloak actually worked in here though. He had forgotten he still had it on his head. He left the flashlight on however. Better to be prepared. Back to the voices. They were in the next room so, pushing his luck, Rex kicked the nearest wall. He went right through it like it wasn't even there.

The voice came from here. A adult screaming at a small child. From what he heard the adult had hit the child. The kid confirmed this as he lay on the ground crying. "I stold eyou Rum! I dn't want water!" The man's words were slurred and hard to understand. This was all so familiar, where was it from? "Fffck Rex, whhhy areee you sch a diss a point met."

Rex fell to his knees when it hit him. His rifle clanged on the hard wood next to him. The child was him, and the man was his father. It was one of his first memories of his past life. Back when he couldn't even hold a bottle of Rum because it was too heavy.

The abuse flooded into his mind. The terror and fear blinded him. The screams of drunken rage deafened him. The beatings made him numb to everything. Rex grabbed his head with his head and leaned down. Though Rex tried to stop it, he cried for the first time in a long time. It wasn't loud, he didn't shake, in fact he barely moved. All he did was cry, by this time the horrible man got up and started to beat his younger self. All this did was add to Rex's distress. His sadness threatened to spill over into a full cry, screams and all.

"Eu pese of slhit!" Another slap rang out, accompanied by drunken ranting. Rex weakly picked the weapon he dropped on the ground and aimed it at the drunken man. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to end that miserable creature right then and there, but he couldn't. The rifle dropped and he went back to crying. It was like his world was crumbling around him, the same way it had already a lifetime ago.

"All this pain, it could be avoided." Rex sat up and looked at the man and child. They were frozen in time. The man mid punch and the boy mid cower. "You are powerful, Rex. You alone can hold power over life and death." A hand touched Rex's left shoulder. "You can make him pay ten thousand times over, and collect the debt he owes you." Rex sat up and stared at the scene, tears falling from his face. "All you need to do... is become my servant. Give your body and soul to me, and I'll give you whatever you desire." Rex had been slightly swaying from side to side during this, but he stopped upon hearing her... it's terms. It moved infront of him and looked down at his kneeling form. "Kiss my hand, and give yourself to me. You will not regret it." Rex actually got a chance to look up its face. It was clearly a girl, What with her large bust and smooth facial features. He hair was a full and flowing white. It wasn't quite on par with Weiss though, as splotches were a darker grey like ash. She wore what looked like a white wedding dress, only lacking a veil. Her eyes, however, were the most drawing. They were orange like fire. But that's not all. They looked like they contained a raging inferno, and her eyes reflected it. The eyes shone with a brightness akin to looking at a star.

Rex lifted his left hand close to hers. "There you go Rex. Go on." Her voice had changed, it no longer sounded like a car crash, it was more like a chorus of angels. His hand faltered and stopped halfway to hers. "Come on Rex, almost there." She cooed like a mother watching her child take its first steps. He drew strength from this and moved his left hand closer.

He grabbed the rifle with his right hand and shoved her out of the way with his left. Rex fired a volley of shots in a sweeping motion. Both the man and boy were hit and disappeared in a cloud of ash. Rex let his rifle fall to the side, "You use my deepest trauma as a way to get to me. You tried to bring me down! Fuck you!" Rex turned and faced the woman. "You have no power over me. This is all a lie and I know it." Rex picked up his weapon brought it to bear and fired it at the woman. She too disappeared into ash. "You're not even here! You lie to me and won't even show your face! You fucking coward!" Red wasn't calm or composed. All he saw was red. All he knew was anger. All he felt was rage. She would pay for this. "Show your face!" Rex busted through a wall and back into swirling ash. He saw the light again, but it was now red. Seeing it filled him with more rage and conviction to strangle the woman who brought forth his past. He could barely see through the ash, but it didn't stop him.

A hand grabbed him through the ash and turned him around. He was suddenly face to face with that cursed woman again. And behind her stood an army of useless drunks so large he couldn't see the end of them. She spoke calmly, "This is your last chance, give yourself to me. You can have whatever you'd like." She added the last part with a smile.

Rex was practically foaming at the mouth. With a voice deep enough to shake the cave he screamed, "You'll all die screaming!" Rex used the rifle as a club to bash the woman, and she went up in a cloud of ash.

The drunks stumbled forward, Rex readied himself. With a loud cry, the intoxicated fakes rushed him. Rex cried right back and charged into one.

X

"Sir, are you sure this is the right camp? Did another unit already exterminate these animals?"

"Sure looks that way, doesn't it Gomez? I'll radio command. We should've had first dibs on this op."

"Well, whoever came through here must be a gardener, because that's some fine ass mulch." A colum of PMCs walked through the veritable graveyard. What had recently been a White Fang camp was now a river of blood, fire, bones, and death. There was signs of significant resistance on the poor animals side, but it was like they were fighting an enemy they couldn't see. Bullets lined every tent, vehicle, sandbag, and terrorist. It was almost like they fought each other.

"Sir? Maybe infighting broke out? It would explain how the fight took place from all angles." The team came up upon the one poor teen holding his endtrails and covered in bullet holes. Dismembered heads lay around the fanus in a random order, but there was a absence of bodies. The closer they got to the boy, the more squishy the ground became. About a foot from him the mercs dared not tread any farther, as they could easily sink through the bloody mud and into whatever lay beneath.

"Maybe, but I've never seen any infighting this brutal. No, this was done by something else."

A man farther back gave his opinion, "Grimm Sir?"

The leader shook his head, "While it's true that Grimm kill for sport and leave nothing but carnage in their wake, I've never heard of them leaving this much carnage. Especially against these White Fang boys. They were all armed to the teeth and still got turned to red mush. The way I see it is that a army of bloodthirsty and invisible monsters came through and turned them inside out before they could figure out what was happening." A nearby tent collapsed and went up in flames, causing the men to turn with their rifles facing the sudden noise.

"Bloodthirsty... and invisible." A PMC quietly muttered to himself.

"Sir, permission to scrub the mission?"

The leader stood, "Negative, we still need to check the cave." Murmurs spread through the men. "Quiet, spread out and look for anything important. Meet at the cave mouth in ten mikes. Stay frosty, whatever did this is still out there." The leader looked over to the brutalized fanus. "This is more than even they deserve."

X

Club, shoot, club. Rex kept that pattern up until he ran out of ammo. Afterwards he just clubbed the phantoms with his rifle. Soon even the rifle broke into pieces, and so he resorted to his hands and feet. He would kick and punch at them until they crumbled to ash, and then find another. It was all he could've ever wanted...and it was thanks to her. He should kneel to her. It would make his life better. "What?" He ground to a halt in the middle of a punch. The phantoms continued their assault. One went to punch him, but stopped it's fist right infront of his face. The army of ghostly drunks froze and stared at him. Had he just thought of...kneeling? Surely it was a good ide...wait what? These weren't his thoughts. He would never give up like that. Giving his head a violent shake, Rex looked around at the army of his fathers surrounding him. He realized why the fight was so easy for him even though he was outnumbered. They couldn't hit him. One still had a fist outstretched towards his face. Rex slowly moved his cheek closer to the phantom's knuckle and watched in cold rage as it moved away from him.

It was a lie. A cleverly constructed one, but one nonetheless. And his thoughts of giving up and kneeling to that strange woman? Those were lies too. Rex was about to strike the ghosts around him and get back into the fighting, but before he could he spotted the blue light hidden behind the ghostly father closest to him. He was nearly blinded by it. Taking a calming breath, Rex walked forward and through the the ghostly image of his father. As soon as he passed through it, it crumbled to ash and the rest followed suit. The scene changed back to his old house, but he didn't stop to look for the voices. The light led him to the battlefield, but he didn't duck out of fear of dying. He just walked on. In a seemingly last ditch effort to control Rex, flames rushed down the cave towards him. He looked down into a easy hiding space. It was a crevasse bigger than the first one, and it had way more weapons in it. Taking a breath, he jumped over it and walked towards the wall of flames. They moved ever closer, until he was engulfed, but instead of burning, the flames moved around him. They formed a perfect void large enough for Rex to walk through and not get burnt.

The flames gave out, but before they did the ash was kicked up. Soon he couldn't see anything past his own nose. Rex silently thanked Imperator for the mask, otherwise he would be drowning in the tsunami of ash. It felt like walking through a blizzard. The ash pelted him with the force of a gale and threatened to bury him in it. Rex, however, pushed ever onward. The light his only goal. The ash became furious at his forward progress, and it felt like it was trying to rip Rex's mask from his face.

"You want to resist me! I could have given you anything you wanted! But now you only get death. I'll take that mask and add you to my collection of corpses!" The woman screamed at him through the storm and before he could resist the mask was ripped from his face.

Rex fell face down from the sudden lack of breathable air. The ash choked him, but he wouldn't die here. No, that was reserved for this woman. Rex struggled to rise to his feet. The ash seemingly pushed him down and tried to strangle him. "I won't die here." Rex barely said through mouthfuls of ash. "I refuse to die here!" Rex got louder, and revived his bodies ability to function. With the willpower of a god, Rex stood.

"No...no...STAY DOWN!" The woman screamed in fear.

After standing up straight, Rex said it again, "I refuse to die here," Then with the pride of a entire army he cried, "because YOU HOLD NO CONTROL OVER ME!" With that the ash dissipated. Even the particles in his throat slowly disappeared. He found himself in the tunnel he originally entered. Now farther into the structure and near a large pair of charred wooden doors.

He placed his hands on the doors to push them open.

He rethought it, and instead kicked them open.

X

The PMCs neared the cave entrance, ready to report their findings in the camp. Their commander stood looking away from his men and into the cave. "Well...what's the state of the camp?"

A single man laughed, "Well, Whatever blew through here did a thorough job. There's no life anymore."

Another man spoke up, "Yeah, and whatever group did it didn't lose anyone to these animals. Goes to show you how much better we are then them." The captain was unconvinced by this answer.

"What if the infighting idea is right? Maybe they got into a major argument and this followed." He gestured around at the carnage. "It would certainly explain why only White Fang are dead."

A soldier looked around at the bodies, "But if that was the case, wouldn't there be clumps of them huddled together? Mutinies aren't usually a battle royale like this was." They looked at the camp behind them, "It lookes like everyone here died alone and scared. There were no sides in this fight, it was a deadly game of hot potato."

"What'cha mean Gomez?" A PMC chuckled at the comparison. "How can THAT be deadly." Pretty soon it was a full blown laugh. "Your weird greenhorn."

The recruit was deadly serious, "Look at them." He let his weapon dangle from his sling while he waved his arms in the direction of the camp. "They all died individually. It was like everyone targeted one guy and then switched to another when he died!" The recruit was starting to lose his cool. "I don't like this place! We need to leave!"

The Captain shouted, "Men!" They snapped to face him. "We all have a mission. Get into this cave, bag the data, and tag the commander. That's what we'll do. Fall in! Everyone into the cave with me!" He pointed into the cave and him men obeyed. With a march they walked in. The captain stayed back awhile longer, taking in the massacre.

"Here's hoping whatever did this isn't nearby."

X

The doors gave and flew into the new room. It was spacious, and brightly lit despite lack light sources. It was a circular room made of smooth stone. And it was large enough to house a Atlesian warship with some wiggle room. The strangest part was the throne in the middle of the room. It was made of a black stone, which Rex assumed was obsidian, and had a blazing fire on its seat.

"So, you come into MY house, insult ME with"HIS name", reject MY offer, and then stroll into MY BEDCHAMBER like you own it. You have guts boy. Guts or a lack of a brain." Rex wanted to scream in anger, but he controlled himself. She wanted him to give into his rage, and he'd be dammed if he did. "But your worst mistake, by far..." the fire on the throne went out. Ash was left in its place, but it didn't stay for long. It started swirling around the throne faster and faster until it was obscured. Suddenly, the ash dispersed across the room and fell across it. "...was aiding the brutes outside." Rex refocused on the throne. The woman was now sitting on it, a small tornado of ash spinning on her palm.

"I believe your mistaken, I have no association with them." Her eyes flared with anger.

"Really? You first desecrate my home with your very presence, and now you have the gall to lie! How dare you!" The ash spun out of her hand towards Rex. He simply held up his hand and the ash dissipated.

"You have no control over me. That won't work." Rex took a step closer. "While we're on the subject of people daring, how dare you use my worst memories for your own gain. You should be ashamed. And how dare you assume that I would aid those criminals out there."

She started to chuckle, then erupted into a laughing fit. "You Imperator hosts are all the same annoying boy with nothing better to do then annoy a beautiful woman such as myself. Scram."

Something had been bugging Rex. What was her problem with Imperator? He had never done anything to wrong him. Had he hurt her? "What's your problem with Imperator? What did he do to you?"

She scoffed, "Ask the bastard yourself." With a wave of her hand the air became less oppressive and a shadow appeared in the middle of the room. Imperator immediately appeared out of it.

"Rex! You beat her!" He ran to his heir and gave him a pat on the back. In his rush to congratulate his heir he glossed over the woman. "How did you do it? Where's your mask?"

Rex didn't waste time in getting to the point. He pointed over imperators shoulder. "What did you do to her?" Imperator froze solid. After a second he slowly started to turn around. Upon completing a full 180 he groaned in annoyance.

"Imperator." She greeted

"Hello..Cinis." The newly named Cinis crossed her arms and frowned in annoyance.

After a few seconds of silence, Rex asked, "May I have a formal introduction?"

Imperator sighed, "Cinis, this is Rex. Rex, this is Cinis. Lady of ash...and my ex wife."

"You're both unwelcome here." Cinis spat in disgust. Rex thought about making a marriage joke, but ultimately decided not to.

"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do, kick us out with your illusionary powers?"

"The ash is real!"

"But anyone with enough mental fortitude can make it disappear."

"Either leave or do something!" Cinis shouted at the two.

Imperator stared at Cinis for awhile before turning to Rex, "Kill her."

Rex shrugged, she did try and kill him after all. Rex walked forward and drew his sword. Cinis, however, stayed sitting. She adopted a rather bored look. Placing her hand on her cheek she said, "By all means go ahead. It would be a blessing to die instead of being near him."

Rex walked right up to the throne and decapitated her with one single movement. Upon this she crumbled into ash and blew away. Thinking nothing of it Rex turned to leave, but saw Imperator intently staring at the throne. "What?" Imperator made a circular motion with his finger. Figuring he wanted Rex turn around he did so. What he saw didn't really surprise him as much as it annoyed him. He watched as the last bit of Cinis's right hand formed from ash.

"Boy, you suck." Her face was filled with disappointment and a trace of amusement. "Tell you what, I'll let you 'kill' me. All you have to do..." A flame appeared in her right hand, which she raised to Rex, "Is take my hand." Imperator was immediately at his side.

"No, nonono. He won't do that. Your a manipulative witch. You won't do that? Right?" Rex looked into Cinis's eyes. The orange orbs stared right back.

"What's your angle Cinis? What do you get out of this?"

She smiled, "I get to personally ensure the rest of his life is miserable."

"Hey wait a min-."

Rex's eyes narrowed, "And what do I get, make it worthwhile or else I'll find a way to kill you for bringing those memories back."

"Please just do tha-."

"All my power is yours. All my abilities and knowledge, even my dresses if you roll like that."

"I will not be ignored!" Imperator screamed

"Deal."

Cinis laughed, "Looks like you will."

Imperator begged, "Please! Don't lock me up with her! I'd rather disappear!" But his pleading fell on deaf ears as Rex took Cinis hand. Something rather unexpected happened as he did this however. Both the forms of Imperator and Cinis merged and slammed into him at full speed. The following collision did more than just knock the wind from him, it sent him a few feet backwards and put him on his back.

Rex held his stomach and got into a sitting position, "At least give me some warnings next time. Feels like you just rearranged my internal organs." Rex expected a voice inside his head, but was greeted by silence. Instead he spotted a kneeling figure next to the throne holding their stomach like he was. They were covered in the black cloak Rex had come to expect from Imperator, but it had a diamond shape on the back in a flowing orange not dissimilar to a river of lava. "Imperator?" The figure didn't move. "Cinis?" Once again the figure gave no response. Getting up, he cautiously made his way over to whoever it was. As he got closer he made out the long ash white hair of Cinis, but the cloak of Imperator that it was wearing threw him of to its identity. Upon reaching it he lightly tapped the figure on the shoulder and spoke in a calm and quiet tone, "Hello, who are you?" It suddenly turn its head towards him. She was a girl, what with her feminine features and long hair. But the eyes were strange. They were the same glowing orange as Cinis's eyes. The whites of her eyes were replaced with the orange, making them stand out a bit. The strange part was the black cracks running from the pupil and across to her eyelid. While there were only four black cracks on either one, it cut up the glow of her eyes, giving of a weird segmented flashlight appearance.

"Rex?"

"Who're you."

She thought for a moment before stating, "I've no idea."

Rex gave a light smile, "Good to know. Let's stand you up." He put his hand out for her to grab, and she did. Her hand was soft and pale like ash. Upon standing it occurred to Rex that he might be tall. He stood at the same height as Ozpin(6'6 might I add((Also on the topic of height, why the hell is every one either extremely small or fucking ginormous? That one yuri guy on CVFY is 7 feet tall! And Neo is like 3'10!)). That put her about a half a head shorter than him. Or about the size of a certain Coco Adel. She was covered in the cloak, so he couldn't see what she was wearing.

"Where did you come from?"

She looked up at him, "You...I think."

"Never mind, we'll figure that out later. Where is Imperator and Cinis?"

"Within...me and you?"

"What?"

"Fanus!" A hail of gunfire erupted from the opening in the room. Rex immediately deployed his shield and covered both of them. The attack came from multiple Gunmen. The men in question were SDC mercs, and they were angry. Rex's new friend was, apparently, angrier. She jumped out from the cover and let a conjured a wave of ash that buried the men. As soon as they were stuck under the ash she raised her hand towards the cave roof and black spikes shot up within the ash. The ash then blew away and they were left with a squad of dead impaled mercs. The spikes disappeared, and then they were just left with a bunch of Swiss cheesed bodies.

The girl promptly collapsed

Rex looked at her and placed a hand on his chin.

"I think I'll call you...Ruin."

Now to find a way out of the cave.

X

Well, I finally finished the chapter. Like I said at the beginning the only reason this came so late was me procrastinating. But I did it in the end, so I guess that's something. I'm going to stop saying I'll keep a upload schedule. Also, fun fact, this chapter is 8000 words long. As always I'll try to post soon. With Christmas break coming up it shouldn't take as long as this chapter. Have a good day! Don't die!