What's up, friends? Here with chapter 9, beta'd by my partner in crime, ekaterina016. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and again, if you have any thoughts, criticisms, or whatever else, feel free to message me or leave a review. Otherwise, sit back, read, and enjoy.
Also, I'm getting a motorcycle. A Kawasaki Ninja 250R from my friend, after I take my motorcycle safety course in a week and get my license. So, yeah, that's pretty exciting. I've also managed to cut my weight from 195 to 180 in preparation for joining the military this fall, and I'm rather happy about that. Finally shedding some excess (bad) Football weight. I hope you're all having a good week and life!
Anyways, here it is:
Blake awoke slowly; a massive, ringing ache throbbing at the back of her head was the only thing she was immediately aware of. In no time at all, she had raised both hands and clutched at the sides of her head, curling up further into a ball to try and lighten the pain. After around ten seconds of light groaning and moaning, she realized it wasn't working, and begrudgingly, she uncurled and took a glance at her surroundings. She was in a... nice, if plain room. When her eyes caught the light fixture overhead, she snapped her eyelids shut and rolled over, slamming her face against the bed. Eventually, after a few moments, she rolled back over and scanned the room more closely. The cat Faunus blinked at what she saw, because it wasn't her team's room, neither was it the hotel herself, Sibyl, and Sun had been staying at-
Gasping, Blake finally realized why she felt so awful and why her body was so sore. It hit her in an instant, exactly what had happened. They'd been at the docks, fighting the White Fang. Sibyl... Sibyl had been facing him, while she and Sun tried to take on Roman, who the White Fang was working with for some reason. She had lost, taking a cane swipe to the back of her head from Roman after Sun had gotten blasted away. Had Sibyl managed to win, despite the long odds? She wouldn't put it past him, but Adam... Adam was a monster.
Sibyl was incredibly strong, but if forced to fight Roman and Adam, she doubted he'd even manage to get out alive. Wait... had Sun and Sibyl lived? It made sense they'd spare her, because Adam was beyond obsessed, but what about Sibyl and Sun? Had she... had she gotten those two killed? Blake choked, eyes widening at the very thought. She slowly forced herself off the bed she'd been sitting on, stumbling lightly. Why had she gotten them involved?! Why had she even gone down to confront Roman in the first place?! They were just supposed to investigate! They weren't supposed to interfere.
It was all her fault; if she'd just been more patient, if she'd just called her team, talked things out, then maybe she wouldn't have-
"Hello, my little Keeper," a familiar voice whispered, and Blake nearly jumped out of her own skin. She turned in an instant, reaching for the weapon at her back which wasn't there. It was the knowledge that she had nothing to defend herself which made her freeze, hand resting where the phantom blade would have been. It left her staring at him, trying and mostly succeeding in stopping herself from shaking. He was just like she remembered, standing tall with red hair like the devil. He had a soft smile on his face, showing just how happy he was to see her. She frowned, not one of sadness, but one of fear and anxiety.
Fighting against her own fear, she dared to speak. "Where's Sibyl and Sun?"
Adam hummed, turning his back to her in a taunt. He knew she couldn't do anything, so he gave the perfect opening. Grinding her teeth, she waited for him to respond. She didn't dare move.
"Sibyl's near. A Keeper should never stray too far from her fire, after all."
Blake breathed in relief, glad she hadn't gotten him killed, but tensed up at the realization her former mentor had said absolutely nothing about Sun. As if reading her thoughts, Adam paused, glancing over his shoulder back at her. "As for our fellow Faunus, well... Sibyl's gained my respect, even more than before." Blake rose a brow, a bit confused on just how Adam knew the odd, cursed boy. Well, then again, she may have just been talking about how well he fought. "He threw himself in front of Sun to protect him against my Moonslice, and it didn't kill him, at that."
"You tried to kill Sun?!" Blake hissed, nearly throwing herself forward to attack him. Only nearly, however, as the fear she felt was greater than the anger.
"Oh, my little Keeper. I knew Sibyl would throw himself in front. It was a calculated risk, one which worked out perfectly." Adam paused, tilting his head lightly. "Even if the Sun boy had died, it would have been for a worthy cause."
"You're disgusting," she declared, voice scathing.
Adam laughed, dismissing the words without worry. Why should he worry, anyways? She was alone without her weapon, and her Aura meant there was absolutely nothing she could do besides speak.
"Even after all this time, you haven't changed a bit. I wouldn't have it any other way, really. Keepers are supposed to be pure – and you are so very, very pure." He walked closer, brushing his palm against her cheek. She quickly slapped it away, taking a step back and trying to keep her heartbeat down. Adam stared at his own hand for a few seconds, shrugging before returning it to his side.
"One way or another, I'll get what I want. And then, you will watch as I destroy everything you hold dear. Perhaps then you will fully commit yourself to the cause."
Blake shook her head, backing up until she eventually found her back against the wall itself. "You're a monster," she spat, voice cracking.
"No. I am a savior, a usurper. From the Flames we will rise up, stronger than before. Stronger than even the threat of Grimm; stronger than any human could ever hope to be. We will push them back, eradicate the darkness which threatens our very existence. Perhaps," he paused, grinning lightly, "after that, we can deal with the threat of the Grimm."
How had she ever seen anything worth loving in him?
Adam made closer to the door, stopping just outside of it and turning back to her. "Don't try anything, Blake. I have to go meet our other guest, and I really don't want to remove your tongue or foot, but if I must to teach you the lesson to stay put, I will." With nothing more to say, he shut the door, and Blake was left well and truly alone.
She collapsed, sliding down the wall she sat against, pulling her legs close and tucking her head against her knees. Tears began to form, and Blake realized just how great life had been for the past few months. She'd been enjoying it, but not enough as she should have been, clearly. She'd gotten used to the comfort, to the warm gestures. She'd gotten used to her friends.
Blake longed for the comfort of her dorm room; she wished she could hear Yang's obnoxious snoring and roll her eyes. She wished Ruby would have woken her up with that stupid whistle, blaring it for longer than necessary. She even wished to hear Weiss mutter under her breath about 'dunces' and being surrounded by them. Sun making some immature joke or stealing a bundle of grapes would have been nice, holding out a hand to offer the pilfered fruit to her. Mostly, she wished Sibyl was in the room with her, because then, just maybe, she might have felt a little safe and not so alone.
Rasping cries could be heard coming from within the room, off and on, but none dared enter to comfort.
He was everything Adam had expected, which was odd, because so rarely did people meet his high expectations. But Sibyl... Sibyl was great. He was built like a brute, yet tactical like a warrior, not to mention possessing an underlying intelligence which had to be there for him to be able to utilize all three of the great magics so fluidly. It had been impressive, watching him first using sorcery to take down one Dropship, then pyromancy to blind the other. He was skilled in combat, from the blade to the dirtier aspects, but even more impressive was his versatility. He'd read about it a little bit, of course, but even in Logan's books, the details had been... sparse. He had hardly expected that odd, nearly-invisible force to slam into him near the end of their fight.
All he had known about Sibyl previously had come from Logan's books, and it had been enough to let him know that Sibyl was incredibly strong, and that he was the so-called Chosen Undead. Adam was hard-pressed to disagree. If anyone was chosen for something great, it was him. He was an incredible sight, and Adam had no small appreciation for the number of scars lining his torso and body. He was someone who had worked to get where he was, just like the bull Faunus. So yes, Adam admired the young man in front of him, even in his dismayed state just hanging on the wall. He frowned at the sight, even, because someone as important as the being in front of him should never be reduced to what he was at the moment. Still, it was a necessary precaution, as he didn't doubt Sibyl had even more tricks up his sleeve that could disrupt and delay his plans.
In a show of respect, however, Adam had left the undead's eyepatch on. It was the least he could do for the soul which would ignite a revolution the likes of which could hardly be imagined, and as a small sorry for what would happen to him tonight. Sibyl was too powerful to be kept in a healthy state; he needed to be... roughed up.
"Wake him up," Adam commanded to his lieutenant, as loyal a companion one could ask for, far more so than Blake, who had abandoned their cause. Abandoned him, but he had her back again. His little Keeper, who was just as key in all of this as Sibyl. Not quite as important, but still a critical piece. Why, it was as if fate itself was on his side! The two had been paired together, just as how a Keeper and her Flame should be. Everything had come together perfectly.
He tried to watch impassively as Sibyl sputtered awake, a bucket of cold water splashing against his face, but couldn't. It was impossible to keep his grin in check. The undead slowly finished his coughing, glancing up and around, blinking his one eye to try and get the last of the water out of it. His face quickly turned from confused to a scowl the moment their eyes met, even beneath Adam's own mask. Sibyl truly did have a piercing gaze, even with just one eye.
The undead jerked forward against his chains, behaving like a wild animal as he growled darkly. It was sad to watch, and Adam shook his head slowly. "A great champion like yourself, rendered to... this." He gestured with an open palm, looking to push a few of Sibyl's buttons.
He jerked forward again, spitting at Adam. The liquid saliva smacked against his chest, but the Faunus paid no attention as Sibyl began to speak. "If you think I am a sad sight at the moment, I cannot waituntil you've been renderedto little more than ashes."
Adam clapped lightly, walking closer to the Fang's newest guest. "Such passion and determination. Captured and caged, yet so sure of victory. It's no wonder you're chosen," he prodded, beckoning his prisoner to say more. He wanted to know more about what being chosen entailed, and if he was lucky, his... angry friend would reveal it.
"The only thing I'm chosen for is to end your life!" He hissed, jerking his right hand forward to try and grab Adam's throat. The appendage hardly moved more than a few inches, and Adam turned his head to stare at the way his hand opened and closed into a fist. With the chains holding him against the wall and stopping any attempts, the great warrior looked like a child in a timeout corner. Adam had taken all the necessary precautions to ensure everything went smoothly, even after he left to prepare the Dropship later that very day. He wouldn't dare beckon a Flame in his own, personal hidden research base. No one else, outside of those he trusted within his division, knew about it. Not even Sienna on the High Council.
Adam frowned when Sibyl didn't say anything more about him being chosen. It was a shame the undead had more control over his mouth than others he had captured, because if there was anything in the world Adam was fascinated with, it was Lordran.
Still, Lordran was a world away. What mattered was where they were now.
"Oh, you're chosen for much greater things," Adam began, unable to stop the frown from marring his features. "I wasted so much time on those... those failures, those worthless piles of trash! Some were even once worth something, members of our very own Fang. They volunteered, and I failed them." He clenched his fists, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. "I was stupid, young and trying to rush things, when I should have just been patient. They paid the price, and I regret that to this day. Yet, it's not all lost."
Taking a deep breath, Adam recomposed himself. "You're here, in this world so far beyond you, because we're connected."
Sibyl scoffed, turning his head to the ground and laughing. His prisoner was laughing at him. Him! The one who was chained against the wall laughed at the man who put him there. Adam grit his teeth, marching forward and grabbing the bastard by his throat, squeezing tightly. Sibyl choked, but the hate in his eyes never faded. "It's not polite to laugh," he reiterated, and Sibyl tried to headbutt him. He tightened his hold, but it was clear the undead didn't care even as his face turned blue, and he instinctively began to shake.
Fine. They would have to get more severe until Sibyl had the proper respect. Besides, this would help limit his capabilities if he decided to try and fight.
Gesturing to his lieutenant, Adam didn't remove his hand from the undead's throat. He held tightly, releasing just enough he could hear Sibyl scream when the fun began. "You're important, Sibyl. Very important, but I don't need you in pristine condition." His lieutenant grabbed the jagged blade, forged with the intent of being pushed through then pulled out. Adam was given the blade a moment thereafter, and he was sure to stare directly at Sibyl's good eye when he slammed it through his thigh, twisting and turning the blade before pulling.
All the undead did was grunt, albeit very loudly, and grind his teeth together. Adam cursed, stabbing the blade through again and again at different angles in the hopes of hearing something, but nothing came. Just the same damnable grunt and the sound of wet flesh tearing. Blood splattered up and against Adam's face, not to mention bathing his torso and pants in it, but he didn't bother to clean it off. Instead, he took a step back, turning to stare at the wounds he'd caused.
There were now holes all over Sibyl's thigh, from its front to its side, and he saw shavings of bone sticking to the torn flesh which hung loosely along the edges of the piercing stabs, shredded and torn like cheese. Blood was beginning to pile up rapidly on the floor, and Adam realized he'd hardly have a chance to talk to Sibyl if he passed out. "'Wrap the wound while we speak."
His lieutenant nodded, and Adam turned to stare at Sibyl again. "He is going to make you scream tonight. I'll have to get it recorded," he added, tone cold. Slowly, he removed his hand from Sibyl's throat, and the undead wasted no time laughing again. Adam didn't waste time, either, as he stepped forward and forced his prisoner's elbow, fully extended thanks to the chain his wrist rested within, up, snapping the bone at the joint and bending the arm unnaturally.
"Y-You are pathetic," Sibyl declared with his eyes slammed shut, resting his head back against the wall and continuing to chuckle.
"You can think what you will. It'll hardly matters when you're in torment, soul burning and a fire is being forged." Adam waited for a reaction, but he didn't get one. Deciding to... twist the truth, he cleared his throat. "Your friend Sun certainly didn't think me pathetic when my lieutenant put him through similar treatment."
Sibyl froze lightly, his eyes widening lightly. Adam was happy to see the tables had turned, and so he taunted. "Oh, it hurt me to do it to a fellow Faunus, but my lieutenant certainly enjoyed it." Sibyl growled, and Adam laughed, leaning forward. "What? Suddenly concerned?"
"Just what are you trying to-" the undead grunted briefly as his wound was cleaned, trying in vain to kick at Adam's lieutenant with his knee. Adam rolled his eyes at the shenanigans, but Sibyl got back on focus with a shake of his head. "What are you trying to do?"
Adam sighed happily, reaching a hand up and running it through Sibyl's hair. "I'm going to use your soul," he grabbed the undead's hair, pulling hard and slamming his head back against the wall, "to create a Flame, the likes of which may even be greater than the ones detailed in Logan's books."
Sibyl laughed, glaring at him through the heartfelt chuckles. "You're a fool, then. My soul is hardly great enough for that, and besides, such an attempt would only end in disaster for you. So please, in the event I don't kill you, do try it."
Adam nodded lightly, expecting the words which had been spoken long before they ever left Sibyl's mouth. Everyone thought him a fool – even Logan's books, the earlier ones, mind you, dismissed the possibility of creating a Flame on par with the First and Chaos Flame. Adam could recall the words exactly.
"Preposterous and idiotic. Not only would it be impossible to find a soul with great enough energy to come anywhere near either of the first two Flames; whoever tried would be stumbling around in the dark. It could only ever end in disaster. That is what your teacher said in his books on creating such a Flame," Adam revealed, stepping closer. "But then, he discovered a mind greater than his. A dragon, Seathe, and an archives filled to the brim with his knowledge. Some of those books even made the journey, though it took me years to finally understand the odd language they're written in."
The undead still laughed at him. "The Witch of Izalith and her daughters couldn't recreate the flame. What hope do you have?" Adam finally got his chance to laugh, and so he did.
"You really think them and them alone tried to recreate the Flame? No, Seathe was there all the while, assisting and documenting. I know what mistakes to not make, you sorry fool." Sibyl glared at him, but Adam didn't miss the way he kept trying to keep his brow from creasing. So he was worried, behind all of his confident mannerisms. "You've undergone quite the journey. Killed many, from legends people perceived as greater. You grew stronger, and your soul did, too. But it's not just your soul you carry, is it?" Silence was all Adam got as an answer, but the silence was very informative. "Together, you'll be more than enough to create what I need."
"You've undergone quite the journey. Killed many, legendary figures people perceived as greater. You grew stronger, and your soul did, too. But it's not just your soul you carry, is it?" Silence was all Adam got as an answer, but the silence was very informative. "Together, you'll be more than enough to create what I need."
Sibyl shook his head, and Adam let go of his hair, taking a step back. "In the end, it doesn't matter what you think. Did you know, in the end of his journals, Logan was planning on killing you? He was quite miffed you had killed Seathe, and wanted the soul of the scaleless dragon to try and create a... similar incident as the first Flame, so it might transform him into a true dragon, much like it apparently did to those in Izalith."
"He was mad and insane; you must have missed the part where he thought his naked self to be a dragon."
Adam shrugged, not very concerned with the details Sibyl had offered. "Regardless, he had the plans laid out nicely." Adam paused, slowly reaching down at his boot where he kept a small catalyst. "I've become something of a sorcerer as well. Tell me, how am I?" He held the catalyst up, casting a small Soul Arrow and directing it at the wound which had just finished being cleaned and wrapped. It caught Sibyl off guard, and he screamed.
The redhead smiled, putting the catalyst of his own making back tucked into his boot. "I've got to go and make preparations. I will see you again, in time."
"Where is Blake?" Sibyl questioned, and Adam smiled softly, moving closer to the chained boy. "She's around. I wouldn't dare separate a Keeper from her Flame, after all."
"Keeper? You're... you're trying to recreate them!?" Sibyl finally lost it, struggling and rattling his chains even after Adam slugged him in his good eye, the Chosen Undead flinching back before flailing again. Adam ignored his many threats, instead admiring and imagining that, next time he saw the undead, that bruise on his eye would be black and swollen. That was the thing about Aura; it only stopped and healed bruisers if the user had any at the moment of occurrence.
Turning to his lieutenant, he spoke. "Give him the full treatment. I think he'd look better with more missing skin, don't you? And maybe he doesn't need his other eye, either."
Adam left, smiling softly as Sibyl cursed him to the depths of Izalith itself.
Weiss was trying to keep composed as they all sat in the dorm. It was a dorm she usually enjoyed being in, but given that it was lacking a very special boy who usually sat on the floor with books surrounding him, the comfort she typically felt was gone. It felt wrong to even say her team was here, because her team wasn't. Blake certainly wasn't here, and Sibyl... Sibyl may as well have been a part of their team. No, instead of Blake and Sibyl, they had Sun. Penny had been forced to leave, doing so begrudgingly. It was kind she'd wanted to help, but truth be told, Weiss didn't want anyone else here outside of those who knew Sibyl closely.
Sun... well, Sibyl had laid his life out for the Faunus, so she had backed down on trying to kick him out of the group. And, besides, he seemed to be feeling just as guilty as she felt. Pyrrha had also joined them, as the champion had come across a very distraught Ruby who failed to keep her mouth shut on the details. The rest of her team wasn't involved, per request, but she was here. Yet, as Pyrrha sat on one of the beds, a determined, angry look on her face, Weiss decided she was glad the Mistral Champion could be here.
Speaking of the kind redhead, Weiss couldn't help but wonder if Blake and Sibyl would be missing if Pyrrha and Weiss switched teams? The two certainly wouldn't have gotten in a fight over the White Fang, thus Sibyl would have never been recruited to help Blake, and then they would have never been captured, and everything would be fine! But, no, she had... she had driven Blake off, and now, she was forced to deal with the consequences.
Hopefully, it 'wouldn't be two corpses.
Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose in thought and frustration, doing the absolute bestshe could to come up with some sort of solution to track Sibyl down. In the end, it seemed she had nothing to go off of, either. It was a few hours after the incident, as it took a bit of time to get back to Beacon. "It's... difficult. The White Fang undoubtedly has bases everywhere, and seeing as how they were taken away in a Dropship, they could be anywhere."
Weiss sighed softly, clutching the hem of her skirt.
Sun had a different reaction. "Of course it's difficult, but there's gotta' be a way to track him down! Isn't Beacon supposed to be the biggest and baddest academy around? You guys have to have something-" Glynda cut the Faunus off with a sharp glare, and Sun swallowed a lump in his throat, slumping.
"You'd do well to remember we're all frustrated with their disappearance," Glynda informed, voice chipped, but still kind, "Stop shouldering the blame for those two getting captured, because it is not your fault. Am I understood?"
He nodded after a moment of hesitation, laying back on the bed he sat upon. The silence of the room was deafening, and the members of the group exchanged a few dismayed glances. Weiss gave Yang one, who was standing by the window with her arms crossed. She was taking this the worst of everyone...
And why wouldn't she? Blake was Yang's partner; they were supposed to be paired together for four years, just like they were all supposed to be a team. And for Sibyl, Yang had met him before anyone else. She guided him to Beacon, and he had begun with teaching her before anyone else. Of course she was taking things worse than all of them!
"Sun, you said Sibyl said he would take care of himself and Blake, right?" Pyrrha questioned, and Weiss resisted the urge to say how much of it was lies. Instead, she nodded for the foreign student. She'd been there when he said it, after all. "Well, is it possible he had some sort of signal ready? He could have something planned." It was a nice thought, but unlikely at best. It wasn't just the Schnee heiress being negative, either.
Ruby also shook her head at the suggestion, humming lightly. "I doubt it. Sibyl's smart, but he's really... confident, too. He probably didn't think losing was an option." Ruby paused, lips thinning into a line. "Nobody did." Weiss's partner sighed, and the heiress felt her frustrations reach the breaking point.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, staring at the ground. "This is all my fault. If I'd just listened, if I wouldn't have scared Blake off, then maybe they'd both still be here, and not in the Fang's clutches and probably dea-" Something slapped against her face, and Weiss blinked. Yang had finally removed herself from the window, and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes were burning, too, though whether it was tears or her Semblance, Weiss could hardly tell.
"Don't say it. There's no way Fireball and Blake are dead." The blond shook her head, clenching a fist in frustration. "I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel Sibyl. He's alive, and if he's alive, then Blake's alive. He'd never let anything happen to her," Yang muttered, closing her eyes to fight away tears.
Weiss sighed, wiping at her own eyes. "Y-You're right. They're... we've got to believe they're still out there."
Yang cursed aloud, slamming her fist against one of the walls and creating a massive hole. "You don't get it! I can feel Sibyl! There is no 'believe he's alive'.Sibyl's alive. I just don't know where the hell he is, but I can feel him!" The blond sighed softly, her hair slowly lost its glowing flare. "I can feel him," she whispered, removing her fist from the wall slowly.
Weiss stayed quiet, deciding that she'd done enough through all of this. No matter what they said, it was her fault. It was all her fault.
"You can feel him?" Glynda asked slowly.
The blond brawler nodded, moving over to Sibyl's desk and sitting down. If only there was some sort of sorcery to track others down. Well, it there was, Sibyl had never mentioned it. Maybe there was a pyromancy or miracle which functioned the... Weiss felt her eyes slowly widen as she thought more about pyromancy. She didn't know much about it, but she'd heard a good bit from Sibyl, mostly in the difference between pyromancy and sorcery. If there was one thing he'd reiterated, it was sorcery was far less personal than the mesmerizing Flames. Both in how they functioned and how they were taught. It had to be the key.
"It's pyromancy," she whispered, rising to her feet. "It's your pyromancy, Yang. Sibyl always said you two were connected, something about how the fire's more personal!"
Yang blinked a few times, whispering to herself so quietly Weiss only barely caught what she said. "A piece of his soul..." Suddenly, their team's violent vixen stood up, a confident grin on her face where previously it had been dismayed and depressed. "You're right. Fireball gave me a piece of his own fire. That's how we're connected, even if it's more me than him. That's why I can feel him, and that's how we're going to find him."
Holding out a hand with the palm opened upwards, a Flame formed in her hand. It wasn't as impressive as Sibyl's own, but the blond had come a decent way on her own. She would sometimes get irritated her training was taking longer to pick things up, but their one-eyed teacher had once told them leaning pyromancy was like a Flame growing; the further along it got, the faster it would grow. Soon, Weiss had no doubt Yang would be slinging fireballs left and right, just as Weiss could now cast Homing Soulmass and Soul Arrows without difficulties.
Unlike sorceries, however, Yang's ability to conjure a Flame seemed so much more important at the moment.
Yang closed her eyes, breathing softly. Slowly, the fire in her palm began to flicker, wavering as if wind was blowing it before eventually pointing in one direction and staying there. The group shared a look, and Weiss dared to let hope blossom in her chest.
"I'll get a Dropship ready right away," Glynda declared, already walking out of the dorm.
- Thump.
Sibyl, for the past... well, however long since this had begun, had been focusing only on the sound of his heartbeat. It was hard when he would occasionally choke or spasm in place, the pain of two fingers digging into a wound agonizing. It had also been hard to focus on the soft thumping when water had been poured over his head, and he had felt his eyes and throat burn as the sensation of drowning overtook him. It was one he was very familiar with, and his personal least favorite way to die. It was hard to focus on his heartbeat, but that was what he did. It was what he had to do.
- Thump.
It was the best way to ignore that every time he struggled against his bindings, his elbow burned in pain. It was the best way to ignore the pain which spiked in his thigh when his captor would suddenly slam his boot against the undead's thigh; one time, he had aimed slightly lower, nearly breaking the undead's kneecap. Sibyl had cried out in pain before he remembered what he ought to be doing: focusing on his heartbeat.
- Thump.
It helped, not only with numbing the pain, but with something else. For Sibyl had a plan, but the plan required patience. It also required him to focus, and focus intently on his memories. The only good news was they were recent ones; the bad news is it required him to acknowledge that, on some level, the dark magic he had encountered in Oolacile had sparked enough interest for him to not immediately dismiss the spells he had come across. That fact scared him.
- Thu
Sibyl screamed as one of his fingers were snapped back, the White Fang lieutenant laughing as he simultaneously ran a burning knife down his side, the blade turned so as to not cut, but to get as much of the hot iron against him. He stopped the scream by biting into his lip, breathing heavy and focusing on the only thing which mattered: his heartbeat.
- Thump.
Dark Bead was a spell whichhe could recall ended his life while venturing through Oolacile. It was a dark variant of Homing Soulmass, except instead of the balls forming and separating from each other and hovering until the user decided a target, they were expelled immediately and outwards with no small amount of power. It was central to his plan. For him to escape, he was going to have to use that which never should be used: the Abyss.
- Thump.
It began with his tainted eye. He could feel the Abyss, moving and begging to be used. He had a theory the infection upon his eye could even function as a catalyst, and he was counting on that theory heavily. Because if it couldn't be used, Sibyl suspected he would be used in whatever awful ritual Adam had planned to create a third Flame. It wasn't so much he cared it would kill him – though he did, more on the principle no one got to make decisions for him. What he was truly concerned on was what would happen to those around him, and the most immediate concern on that front was Blake. That was why he needed to escape his bindings.
- Thump.
"I don't like you," his torturer declared, voice far too close to Sibyl's ear. "It's why I'm enjoying this. I don't get to play with kids often, usually just former Fang members who have turned traitor." The voice paused, and Sibyl continued to focus.
- Thump.
"They're Faunus, so even if I have to do it, I don't enjoy it." The agent stood directly in front of Sibyl, pushing his chin up so to stare into his eye. "But you, oh, man, I'm having the time of my lif-"
- Thump.
The White Fang lieutenant didn't get the chance to finish speaking, because his brains were now splattered against the far wall. Sibyl looked down and stared at his busted cranium for a few seconds, ignoring the bits of blood and brain which had been flung forward at his own face. The standing corpse in front of him did not fall slowly; no, the force of the Dark Beads had blasted him back.
There had been another 'thump', but it hadn't been his heartbeat; it was the sound of a body hitting the floor. He kept staring at the now dead lieutenant, enjoying the sight he saw. He might have compared it to a cracked egg, but to be honest, he hardly could afford to focus on the corpse in front of him for a few moments. Instead, he turned his eyes – and it was eyes, because Sibyl was disturbed to see that he could see out of his Abyss-tainted one to the chains holding him up. He didn't dare cast Dark Bead, lest he remove his own arm, but Dark Orb would work.
Focusing intently, Sibyl allowed his tainted eye to work as a catalyst once more. An Abyssal sphere flew forward, slamming into the chain and breaking it. The locket around his wrist remained, but Sibyl didn't care. Falling forward due to the lack of support, Sibyl was forced to pull himself up closer to the other chain, focusing his eye and casting another Dark Orb.
He fell forward, collapsing onto the ground – and in fact right on top the corpse he'd created. Grimacing and trying to ignore the way his whole body and leg burned, Sibyl sat up, breaking the chains connected to his legs in the same way he'd done to the ones locking his hands in place.
Finally free, Sibyl allowed himself to fall back to the ground for just a second. One hand slowly raised up to touch the Abyss around his eye, and he grimaced. It felt far more... alive, because he had been forced to draw upon a power he swore to never use. Was that how every fall began? Had Artorias tapped into the power willingly, or simply been corrupted from his battle? It didn't matter.
Sibyl tried to stand, but his damaged thigh made it impossible, not to mention his aching knee.
Looking around, he smiled lightly at seeing the odd, metal blade which was resting on a table nearby. It was quite long. Crawling across the room – leaving a small blood trail – he used the table as support, grabbing the metal weapon and forcing it beneath the armpit which his useless arm was connected to. With a crutch, he managed to move over to the door which had been shut closed.
It seemed he'd be breaking out of this place with one, sole good hand.
He took a deep breath and opened the door with his one good hand.
"Finally done in there, eh? Guess the damn human passed-"
Before the White Fang grunt had anytime to respond, Sibyl had slammed his free hand into his face and summoned the most powerful Combustion he had ever conjured. The Faunus's face was unrecognizable, and he fell back, dead. Sibyl held his palm there in the air for a moment after the body fell, shaking his head.
It was time to find Blake.
Blake didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, knees tucked and just... staring at the door. She had finally stopped crying a bit ago, remembering tears didn't do anything. They never had, and they never would. Tears weren't going to change the fact she was here, trapped in a room without her weapons and her Aura drained. Tears didn't change the fact that, even if her friends were looking for her, the odds they could find a White Fang facility was damn near zero. Muffled cries didn't change the fact she was completely exhausted, enough so she doubted she could even take on more than a few Fang grunts. Why was she even sitting there, staring at the door? It wasn't like anyone was going to save her. She wasn't some princess in a tower; she was a terrorist whose past had finally caught up to her.
Her only realregret was getting Sibyl involved. He didn't deserve whatever was likely happening to him. Humans captured by the Fang were never treated kindly; most never lasted long, either, but Adam had made it sound as if Sibyl was important. Given Sibyl was teaching Weiss and Yang such odd arts, she didn't put it past Adam to force him to teach the White Fang. It would certainly have tipped things in the Fang's favor. Maybe it would be enough to keep him alive? Maybe, if Sibyl was alive, she could do something to free him and they could escape. But he had to be alive. Without him, she knew she'd never get out.
Blinking, the Huntress-in-training focused in on the doorknob which was slowly turning. She dared to hope, if only for a second, someone she knew was going to walk through that door. But it wasn't to be; instead, a few White Fang members entered, all men and all armed. Blake slowly stood, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want?" She hissed, ignoring the way her heart started to race and her pupils dilated.
"Just wanted to get a good look at one of the Fang's most notorious traitors. Adam never shuts up about you," the group's... leader, for lack of a better term, answered. He had antlers protruding from his head.
Blake frowned, crossing her arms uncomfortably. "Well, here I am. You can leave now."
One of them laughed as another stepped forward to speak. "He said we wanted a good look. Not just a look, you know?"
Blake raised an eyebrow, before just what they were applying hit her. She felt her breath hitch, and she tried to take a step back, yet there was a wall directly behind her. "N-No. I'll kill you," she declared, meaning it for the first time in her life. And... maybe she could do it. Sure, her Aura was drained, but she was still a Huntress-in-training and these were some grunts. She wasn't experienced in fighting without her weapon at all, unfortunately, but she could still do it. She had to, otherwise... no, that wasn't a possibility.
She was going to have to try.
"Hey, listen. We're just trying to give you a bit of pleasure before you end up like all those freaks in the basement," the deer Faunus reiterated, holding up two hands as if that would help her trust them.
Another Fang member chuckled, rubbing at his chin. "Yeah, Adam is really convinced you're gonna' turn out different. We've got our doubts, so... may as well put you to good use."
Blake could hear her heart beating faster and louder, and odds were those across from her could hear it, too. Given one of them smirked lightly, she knew they could. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she used the brief lull to plan the best way to take them out quickly and get away. "For the record, I'm not participating in this like the rest of these sick fucks," mentioned the Faunus in the back with two wolf ears atop his head, which he moved to scratch. "I'm just here to make sure they don't get too... violent, I guess. Sorry, Kid. I really do mean it."
"If you were sorry, you'd stop them," she whispered, knowing they'd all hear it regardless.
"...I've tried before, but, you know, the guys-"
Before he could finish speaking, another member had stepped forward and shoved the wolf Faunus to the ground. "Shut the hell up. You're ruining the mood."
Blake took the brief moment he had turned his head to pounce, flying forward and slamming a fist against his head. Normally, it would have left him unconscious, but she didn't have her Aura to strengthen her, did she? He was sent stumbling back, and she quickly moved to kick at the deer Faunus. He leaned back, moving forward to try and grab her, only to receive another kick in the face for his efforts. Blake shifted to avoid a punch to the back of her head, grabbing the arm and breaking it in one fluid motion. As she threw him over her shoulder, she turned and ducked beneath a punch. Lunging forward, she slammed her leg into his groin, sliding between his legs and making a beeline towards the door.
As she grabbed the handle, something slammed against her back and against the door, hard. She fell back a moment there later, back on the ground with black spots in her vision.
Gasping, Blake tried to reorient herself. Without her Aura to lighten the blow, she could hardly even think. Slowly, the cracked mask of a White Fang member came into her vision, and she whimpered. A boot slammed into her stomach and she coughed, a bit of blood coming out with it.
"Think you're real smart, don't you?" He growled, leaning down and getting right in her face. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life, girlie."
Sibyl slowly maneuvered forward, the metal blade he was using as a crutch making both a lot of noise and his trip easier. His arm still hung limp beside it, and he had even accidentally cut his arm on the sharp end of the blade. It hardly bothered him, given all the other pain he was in at the moment, but it was something he noted. He struggled to keep his eyes open the longer he walked on but forced his way through his own exhaustion. He had to find Blake and get out of this place, lest Adam return and their escape became impossible.
His eyes slowly moved to his palm, and more specifically, his index finger which had been bent backwards. A bit of bone stuck out from the skin, and he grimaced. The moment he stared at it, he could feel the pain reestablish itself. Gritting his teeth, he paused, resting his back against a nearby wall and taking in gasps of air. He wasn't even sure where he was, only that it was some sort of prisoner facility and didn't have many, if any, windows.
The undead didn't find much in the way of guards, either. In fact, Sibyl strained his ears to listen for a few moments. The halls were completely quiet, except for one thing he could hear far in the distance. It was hard to make out, but, after stopping his own, panted breathes, he realized it was a scream.
No, not a scream, screams. Repeated screams, and they were feminine, at that.
Sibyl felt his eye flare up, and a dark, dark energy overtook his body. It helped numb his pain, mostly because he got angry. And anger was a great way to ignore even the most serious of injuries. Still, he didn't sprint; it was outright impossible. Instead, he used the crutch under his arm at a much faster pace, using his free hand to guide him along the walls. Ignoring the searing pain was hard, but he went back to a tried and true method. Only, this time, instead of listening to his heartbeat, he listened for the screams.
With each noise, he could feel his senses grow duller. His thoughts began to get simpler, too, though eventually, he didn't even notice that.
'I'll kill them. I'll bite out their damn throats. I will slaughter them-'
He knew what was happening. He knew who was screaming. And Sibyl realized something: he was going to make whoever was causing it miserable. Eventually, the screams got so loud – or closer – that he could make out words. Not even words – they were pained begs. The weapon-turned-crutch beneath his arm fell to the ground, but he didn't even hear the metal rattle. He didn't feel the way his leg cried in protest with every step, and he certainly didn't notice the light, purplish black energy which had overtaken his body. And so, his left eye flared as he slammed open a door.
The sight was what he expected. Three men crowded over someone. He roared, the noise so loud he thought it was coming from a damn giant and not his own mouth. With little to no warning except his own deafening scream, he leapt forward and conjured a fireball as the men looked over their shoulders in fear. He slammed his Chaos Fireball against the back of one of the Fang grunts, the man screaming as the fire burnt through his clothes, flesh, and eventually, his very body. The Flame didn't remove itself quickly, either; the lava stayed far longer than it normally did, even as the Faunus underneath it continued to scream.
An indictment to Sibyl's own rage if there ever was one.
Sibyl, not wasting a moment, turned to his next foe. He allowed a stream of Fire Surge to fly from his palm, burning the Faunus bastard's antlers and face into a charred, mixed mess of tan and white. As the bastard screamed, he turned for the last member. He felt something slam against his thigh, and he screamed, not in pain but in rage. Turning his Abyssal eye towards the one who had done it, he didn't even have to commandthe Abyss to cast. It simply did, a Dark Orb flying out and connecting with the fool's chest. It went straight through, slamming against one of the far walls and leaving a gaping hole Sibyl could see through inside his foe.
Something was dropped onto the ground, and the Chosen Undead turned to see that it was a gun. Someone had dropped their gunon the ground. A Fang member, at that. The only one left alive. Sibyl slowly stood, the pain in his bad leg forgotten as he dragged himself forward. His breathing was heavy, and the wolf eared Faunus was already begging.
"Please, no! I've got a family, man. Ask the girl – I was here to make sure they didn't get too-" Sibyl grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall and squeezing. His legs kicked as he struggled to get free and tried to speak. It was disgusting. With the strength of what it took him to lift Grant, Sibyl squeezed, the man's neck cracking before it narrowed into something resembling a thin stick. Sibyl finally allowed the body to drop and his own breathing to steady – the moment it did, he realized in just how much pain his leg was in.
He fell onto his back with a scream, and it only took a moment before someone was standing over him. His first instinct was to throw a punch, but it was stopped just short of Blake's tear-filled, messy and bruised face. She was crying, but she was also doing her best to focus on making sure he was fine. His eyes drifted below briefly, and he growled like an animal at seeing she was topless. "I-I'll ki-kill them all," he whispered before closing his eyes and raising his free hand to his mouth, screaming as he bit down onto it and drew blood.
Blake was crying about a few things as she collapsed into Sibyl, pulling him close against her as he bit his hand to stop a scream. Firstly, she was crying about what had almost happened. She could only barely believe if, and she could hardly even think about herself without getting angry. If she had just been better, if she had just managed to beat a few White Fang grunts, she would have never been put into a position like that. Sibyl would never have been put into a position to act so... brutally, even with his clear injuries.
How had she even gotten admittance to Beacon if she couldn't handle a few untrained men!? She should be kicked out, because it was beyond sad. With her... with her virginity and dignity on the line, she had failed to protect it herself. No, someone else had, she was crying about the who had come in and saved her. Maybe fairy tales did exist, because Sibyl... Sibyl was a goddamned hero. She finally realized just what everyone else saw in him.
He had been ready to tear out a throat with his own damn teeth if it meant saving her, and for Blake... it meant the world. No one had ever acted like that for her, a sort of primal rage at just the sight of her being violated. No, it had come even before he saw them; he had entered the room already beyond enraged. It was somewhat sad that the first someone to act so protectively of her was a person she'd barely talked to over the past few months, yet it also warmed her heart he had fought through tremendous pain just to protect her.
Thirdly, she was crying because what the hell had they done to him?! One of his fingers was bent so far backwards bone was visible, and his other arm was hanging limply. The wrapping around his thigh had come loose, so she got to see there were a surplus of stab wound digging at least halfway through his leg. They weren't clean cuts, either. They were jagged, with bits of flesh torn off and still hanging loosely. He was missing a slab of flesh on his back shoulder, and it wasn't pretty. She swallowed down a bit of bile in her throat, shaking her head and trying to focus.
Then, there was his body. God, Yang hadn't been kidding – he had so many cuts and wounds, and now, as she stared at his bare body, she could see all the new ones made. She saw the marks of hot iron running all across his chest and side, not to mention multiple physical bruises. His oneeye was bloodshot and bruised, while the other... Blake wasn't even sure how to describe it.
It was dark. A sort of blackness resembling the Grimm, but so differently. She could see it move if she stared hard enough. He had also cast some sort of... dark orb out of it to kill one of her... her...
Blake shuddered, collapsing back from her knees against Sibyl's chest and crying. "T-Thank you," she whispered, choking on her own voice. She didn't say anything more, mostly because she couldn't. What more was there to say except 'thank you'? Thank you for saving her, thank you for helping her in the first place, and a thank you for living and not leaving her alone in such an awful, awful place.
"L-Late…" Sibyl said, coughing wildly right thereafter.
Blake slowly raised her head, blinking. Late? What did he mean-
Oh. Blake felt more tears fall as she shook her head slowly. "No. You... you stopped them before any of that."
He opened his eyes, staring into her own. She tried not to squirm at the darkness moved with the motion. Slowly, he smiled, laying his head back down. His smile faded. "Go," he whispered, resting his head against the floor and closing his eyes.
Blake cursed aloud at that suggestion, slapping him gingerly across the face. "No. We're getting out of this, together. You're not going to sit here and die! We're going to live; we're going to see Yang and Weiss and everybody else again."
She forced him up to his feet, and he did help... some. Mostly, he was dead weight, limp. She didn't blame him for it, given everything she just saw him do when his kneecap was busted, and his thigh was simply shredded meat.
"We've got to go to the basement," she thought aloud, electing a grunt of exertion from Sibyl. "They said they kept people down there. We've got to save them," she whispered, setting Sibyl up against the wall briefly so she could fix her own top. She stared at herself for a moment, narrowing her eyes and snarling. She was a failure. She should have done something – anything! Instead, Sibyl had been forced to, and look at him! He managed to do something to escape in his state, but she couldn't even beat a few guards!
Blake fought away her own tears, swallowing and moving back to Sibyl. She moved to get beneath his good arm, but he shook his head. "I… I need to have my pyromancy," he said through heavy breath. Nodding, the cat Faunus hooked his broken arm around her shoulder and neck, trying to ignore the strained look of pain which took over Sibyl's face.
The pair exited through the door, leaving behind a room full of blood, corpses, and bad memories.
"We're getting close," Blake whispered into his ear, and Sibyl nodded. His head was ringing, so the motion caused some mild distress, but compared to the rest of the pain he was feeling everywhere, it was nothing. She'd been using her superior hearing to track the sound of footsteps, and while they were doing that, she'd heard moans of torment. Sibyl was still hooked around her neck, but his breathing had calmed somewhat. Perhaps it was due to him getting used to the pain; perhaps, most worryingly, it was the blood loss, numbing his senses.
They'd also, after wandering a bit, managed to find their equipment. Sibyl had elected to leave behind his armor, seeing as how he had a spare set in his bottomless box and enough titanite to reinforce it into something respectable. What he had refused to leave were Solaire's talisman, Solaire's longsword, and his Oolacile Cataylst.
Blake had her weapon, but she was still rather exhausted. With her Aura drained, Sibyl wouldn't be allowing her to fight. He would use his pyromancy to take out any threats, quickly and painfully. If need be... he'd also allow the Abyss to force his senses into a more primal state, so he might ignore the pain of his body. Only if it was absolutely necessary, however, would he resort to that again. As they – and by 'they', it meant he – limped further and closer to the noises, hebegan to be able to hear them just as Blake was able to. Quiet sobs, yet unnaturally sounding, too.
He grimaced. He had only heard the sound once before, at the base of the Duke Archives.
"Hey, who the hell are you-" Sibyl didn't hesitate to turn around, force Blake off of him, and conjure Fire Whip. It burned his foe alive, of course, but not before he discharged his gun. The undead cursed when multiple bullets slammed into his shoulder; his Aura was too drained to prevent damage, too.
"Are you okay?" Blake asked, and he nodded. They were but a few more wounds to add to his collection. "They'll have heard that," she declared a moment later, muttering under her breath. "We need to hurry."
Sibyl nodded, agreeing entirely. The quicker they left this place, the better. Blake more or less carried him forward, and as they reached the door which led to the basement, she kicked it open, rushing down the stairs with the last of her energy. It was dark, but that wasn't an issue for Blake. She could see in the dark.
"W-What are those?" Blake questioned, taking a step back as she scanned the room. He couldn't exactly tell, given he was a human and not Faunus, but he had a solution. Reaching at his side, he grabbed the Oolacile Catalyst and conjured a ball of light at the center of the room. It was by then that he could see what Blake was talking about. They were odd people, with a body almost similar to a standing snail, yet with octopus-like tendrils coming from their heads. Tendrils came out the back of their heads, and they were all huddled together, crying. Sibyl forced himself to stand all by himself, ignoring Blake's darting eyes. He knew what these creatures were, or at least had been.
"Halp," came a disgruntled cry from nearby.
The undead could only sigh softly, cursing all the gods he knew of in his mind as he slowly turned to stare at the ground near him. The sight of a girl laying there, her body… transformed into something far different greeted him. He approached slowly, limping even as Blake asked what the hell was going on. His attention was far more focused.
Falling onto his good knee and tuning out the pain in his other, he leaned forward. The girl's one real eye – as the other had turned into some sort of pink liquid – shined with hope at the sight of him. "You're fine. We are going to help you," he declared, reaching forward and pulling the girl into a hug. And it was true: they were going to help her. Sibyl was going to help all of them.
She cried, the noise anything but natural coming from her mouth. "Hai as ss-ared."
Nodding in understanding, he moved his good hand to grab the sword at his waist. "You're fine. You will be fine."
As she sobbed in joy, Sibyl didn't close his eyes. No, he kept them staring at her one good, hazel-colored eye, even as he rammed a straight sword through her chest and heart. She died instantly, and Sibyl watched as realization dawned in that beautiful eye. It quickly faded to, not anger, but gratefulness, followed by fading to nothing and glassing over. He stared for a few seconds longer before gently laying her down, ignoring the burning in his leg because it was nothing compared to what these women had gone through.
He took a deep breath, dropping her from his arm and standing up with a shaky breath.
"Why did you kill her?!" Blake hissed, grabbing him by the shoulder and roughly turning him around. She only kept her voice quiet to avoid the rest of the failed Fire Keepers from realizing what was going on, he suspected. It was a wise decision.
"What would you have me do, Blake?" He wondered aloud and didn't receive an immediate answer. "She was suffering; they're all suffering!"
The Faunus shook her head, refusing to believe what he had done was right. It... hurt, that she thought him some sort of brute. He had only ever tried to do what was right, even if he failed sometimes. A lot of the time, actually.
"There had to be a way. If they can get changed into that, they can get changed back-"
Sibyl laughed bitterly, shaking his head as tears came. "There is no cure, Blake! These are the creations of a madman, all made possible thanks to my damnable teacher!" He cried, slamming his fist against his own thigh as punishment. It hurt, but he deserved it. Why had he allowed Logan to read those books, to continue to read them!? He knew his teacher was acting strange, yet he ignored the signs. And, thanks to him... this happened.
"I am fixing the mess Logan and I made. These… poor women, poor maidens, they were promised salvation, that they'd become Fire Keepers."
"…those are Fire Keepers?" Blake whispered, taking a step back. "Adam wants me to become… that?"
"No. He wants you to become a true Fire Keeper, but this is what happens when one attempts to create a Keeper: disaster. A disaster I now must fix."
Silence overtook the two as they stared at the group of former maidens. Of sisters, of mothers and of children. Of people, most of all, all turned into something far less thanks to him not burning down the entirety of the Duke Archives as soon as he discovered what it really was: a palace not of knowledge, but of madness.
"It isn't right," Blake mumbled, crossing her arms to hug herself. Understandably shaken by the knowledge Adam would inadvertently turn her into this,Sibyl nonetheless decided it was something she would have to deal with on her own and later.
"Nothing ever is. Blake, go upstairs. I... I will make this quick."
She did so begrudgingly. He waited until he heard the door open and close before allowing himself a moment to stare at the group of huddled women. And they werewomen, people. They simply didn't appear to be such things.
"I never asked for this," Sibyl whispered, staring at his hand as a fire formed. Slowly, one by one, they turned up to look at him and his fire. He did his best to stay composed. "I never asked for this," he said, slightly louder at the accusing stares. He had once thought them mindless – but those stares, they pierced his very soul. "I never asked for this!" He screamed, the Flame in his hand growing rapidly.
He'd never wanted to be chosen, but what else had he been expected to do? He woke up in an asylum with no memories, and promised the man who saved his life he would, if nothing else, try and fulfill a prophecy.
"I was content to die, to burn in the Kiln!"
It was supposed to be his destiny! His salvation and his punishment, for all he had done. For killing a demon-sister who was protecting her sick sister, for driving Siegemeyer to his own death! For... for sending Laurentius down to the swamps of Blight Town, killing his dear friend and teacher.
Then, he had ended up in Oolacile, before coming here.
"I never asked for any of this – not to be chosen, not to kill all my friends, and certainly not… this,"he explained, gesturing to the blue, tentacle-headed maidens who judged him so harshly.
He swallowed a lump in his throat as the former ladies turned their gazes back to the ground. He shook his head, preparing the cast of Chaos Storm.
"I never asked for this."