Chapter Five: Stirring of the Beast
Clancy sat against a wooden picnic table gazing beyond the lush green forest surrounding him. The afternoon sky was overcast, swollen with dark clouds waiting to spill its guts over the whole of the kingdom. There was a gentle breeze that occurred periodically, carrying with it that slight chill and pungent smell of ozone which promised rain in the near future.
The man with red hair had his back to the plastic to-go boxes and his squad car many paces beyond that. Clancy preferred his current view even with the darkened sky. Its beauty was beyond comparison in Vale. The only way it could be improved was during a clear night; to see the stars spread out like sand suspended in a breeze was awe-inspiring.
As time passed those gusts of chill air became more frequent and the sheriff became worried. The last thing he wanted was to be rained on during his lunch. If he was gonna have to reschedule the meeting he had, well, if he didn't kick himself for not checking the forecast for the day then Cinder certainly would. He chuckled. As if she needs a reason. When he had called a few hours ago he was pretty sure a year was being shaved off his life for every second that passed.
He felt bad for interrupting what was almost assuredly a personal time; a day meant solely for reunion with loved ones. Granted it was Ruby himself who had arranged the meeting in person, "not over the scroll", he insisted. But… oh, what horrible timing. Why did all the excitement have to happen the day of Ruby's return? Three months of the same-old same-old only to be screwed up the day it mattered most.
A twig snapping caught his attention. Clancy looked over his shoulder. Far in the back, beyond his car, a blackened SUV with tinted windows. He hadn't noticed it pull up, nor the doors opening or closing. There were two figures. Cinder leaned the hood of the car with eyes full of bloody murder aimed at him specifically. The other was closer and mid approach, already just a dozen feet from where he himself was.
A gentle hum blew through the forest and Ruby breathed in the air that caressed his rosy cheeks and rattled his earrings, dress fluttering in the wind.
"Long time no see," Clancy greeted.
Ruby didn't respond right away. Instead he walked past the table stopping just before reaching the cliff's edge. His gaze overlooked the forest which surrounded him, focusing instead on what was laid before him. Beautiful lights of a city, the spires of distant skyscrapers piercing just beyond the walls of bark and green leaves which stood like soldiers marching in line and the overwhelming silhouette of the CCT tower which loomed over even them, dominating all but the clouds with its mind-numbing size.
Ruby savored the fresh air flowing through him. The way it cooled his skin like soft breaths, or how the wind gently fluttered his hair like fingers untangling his curls; nothing put his nerves at ease like this kind of weather, and nothing could lull him to sleep like the rain which would soon follow. It was days like these that tempted him to stay home for the day, often changing non important or time sensitive plans just so he could savor it, cuddling up with Cinder or, when she was otherwise occupied, Roman or Neo.
Something about it was just so peaceful…
"You just going to ignore me or what?" Clancy joked. Ruby turned to him, hands only now unclasping from his back. He apologized briefly before sitting next to him, both savoring the view they had a little while longer.
"So," Ruby eventually started, "give me the details."
"All business today, huh? Not even a hello?"
"Unfortunately. When it comes to Nobles I don't have much luxury, even if this weather is tempting me to go back to sleep." Ruby turned to him and their eyes met. "Now tell me what happened. Why was a Noble here?"
Tell the story he did. Clancy spared only the most tangential of details when recounting what had happened last night. He spoke about the young robbers holding up the bank employees, about how one of the workers had managed to press the button for the police before being corralled. The Noble had appeared in the interim, apparently gunshots had been the thing which had drawn her attention. According to workers she had walked right in through the front doors. A handful of minutes later, just as the police had set up and reporters had flocked in, she walked out the building, bloody robbers in tow.
Ruby nodded. "Did you get any details about her?"
Clancy started scratching his beard. "Uhh, she told me her name… but, uh, she was tall, well endowed, I guess you could say," he answered awkwardly. "Blond hair as well; long. Uhh, lavender eyes I think-."
"Yang Xiao Long," Ruby gave him the answer, but it looked more like he was saying the name to himself.
"Yes! Yes, that's it!" Clancy snapped his fingers in realization. "She was the one that had that blow up some years back, with that interviewer! Remember, the one that punched out the camera?"
"Yeah, I remember," Ruby said in monotone, lost in his own thoughts.
"Well, she said it was a one off," Clancy continued, oblivious to Ruby's subtle mood change. "Right place, right time sort of deal. I don't think we'll have to worry about them sticking their noses in our business. Still thought you should be aware, though."
An awkward pause settled upon the two for what felt like an extended period of time. The bloated silence gave Clancy enough time to really take Ruby in. It had been so long since he had last seen him, yet that familiar uncanny feeling started bubbling up to the surface, a feeling which came from staring at Ruby too closely for too long. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite in fact: it was thrilling. Maybe even heartwarming.
He looked out over the cliff again as yet another breeze whipped his uniform. So desperately searching his mind for something to say he missed Ruby's now more obvious expression change. With twitching lips struggling to form a frown like pressed metal repeatedly springing back, his emotions were just barely being kept at bay.
"I have some leftovers," he attempted to break the silence. "The one right by ya, go on and take-" A snapping caught his attention. He looked. He gasped. Ruby was holding his right index finger. It was bent, bleeding slightly at the bone of his joint now threatening to scratch away his skin.
"Oh my god!" Clancy scrambled to his feet. He attempted to grab some clean napkins but Ruby called him off promptly.
"You may not be able to control what you feel," Ruby said in a voice squeezed in pain. "But you can control how and when you indulge it," their eyes met and Clancy was rendered still. "Forget about it. Nothing major."
Clancy was about to protest that statement when he noticed some crunching mixed with a little snapping. Ruby's finger was shifting-no not the finger itself, but the damage within. The bone seemed to be moving back into place and the bleeding had stopped, skin tears already clotted and shrinking.
That was odd. He knew of Aura of course, but his knowledge was spotty at best. Still from what he knew Aura didn't work that fast, at least not for something that bad. He was stunned. How should he respond to that?
Ruby stood, finger almost completely healed in a matter of seconds. "Are you sure about the leftovers?" So causal he was, absurdly so. Clancy was stunned. It took a couple seconds for him to come up with a response.
"No, seriously take it," his sentence was spaced, like each word took time to wrangle from the spider's web of conflicting thoughts running amuck in his head. "The burger was bigger than I remembered. It's only a couple of sides. So please, I don't want them to go to waste." Ruby agreed, finally, and thanked him for the generosity.
"I guess I'll go. Don't want to keep Cinder waiting for too long." A second later an epiphany struck Clancy, a forgotten thread of thought pertaining to another topic he needed to discuss. A situation which had sat on a back burner for over a month now. If Ruby insisted on acting as though everything was normal may as well get this out of the way.
"Oh, one more thing. Sorry, but since I was already meeting with you I'd figure I'd give you this," the chief handed his accomplice an unmarked envelope; some amateurish rose design was the only clue to its contents: a request. Ruby took it and searched through the two papers folded inside.
"Jackasses are getting heated over territory. Hookers of all things," he scoffed. "They agreed to have you mediate between them, but it's already been a month and they're starting to get antsy. I've heard of a few vandalism's and, last week, a few of the girls reported being stalked and harassed. I had another say she was robbed at gunpoint."
Clancy stood and started packing his leftovers into a paper bag. "It's not going to be long before things escalate even further." He hesitated briefly before grabbing his napkins, taking one last glance at the should-be-damaged finger holding up the papers: good as new. Not even a spec of blood remained. Where had it gone? Blood in and of itself was not an injury, so even if whatever damage Ruby had sustained healed surely there would still be some present.
Ruby huffed in annoyance, answering before turning and leaving. "You know what, tonight, eleven on the dot. Forever Fall, Rust River. I want the top people from both to be there, no exceptions. I'm sorting this shit tonight!"
"Wait, seriously? So soon?" Ruby had already passed the table they were at.
Ruby turned and pointed at him with the letter. "These dumb asses want to play this game while I'm gone? Fine, I'll straighten this out, even if I gotta throw 'em all in body bags!" Ruby returned to his car in a march.
The sheriff rubbed the back of his balding head. "Oh boy…"
...
The clouds were thick, an entirely recent development. A clear midday sky had been overtaken by a smog of dark gray, choking out the sun and its heat while smothering the kingdom of Vale with cool gusts. Rain had come shortly, yet it was gentle. Spears of lightning momentary cracked the sky, with resulting thunderclaps being low, explosive rumblings, and winds whipped flags and shook tree branches. Yet the rain was light, relatively speaking. It was a calming ambiance, something a camper would fall asleep to under the pitter-patter upon his tent. Lightning struck with violent frequency, thunder rattled windows, yet the rain was a beautiful cradle song.
Citizens upon the sidewalk ran for cover, bee-lining for cars, stores, restaurants, or maybe even underneath signs or billboards if desperate. No one had expected rain today, let alone the sudden onset of such a violent thunderstorm.
Yet one walked without care. Whereas the other pedestrians ran for shelter the man in the trench coat seemed to have no care for the condition of his person. His white pants had become waterlogged, darkening by several shades as they became heavier all the while his long, braided hair now bordered on black as it clung to his head.
"Callows," an accented woman spoke into his ear piece. "I've just got 'en word from our boys, the targets have taken the bait. Eleven at some place called 'Rust River.' Talk the rest when we're at the hanger."
"Finally," Tyrian let out a gleeful laugh. "A month of waiting...oh I'm itching for some action!" He giggled again. "And what a target too! Just the idea of clashing with Sascha is making my heart sing!" He clapped his hands with childish enthusiasm.
"You're getting ahead of yourself," Tock warned. "Let's at least try to avoid a fight with that thing. Don't forget the job—that comes first."
Tyrian stopped walking. He was in the middle of crossing the street now, so inside his own head he hadn't noticed he'd stopped in front of a parked car. Luckily there were no active ones in sight. "Oh trust me, that's not going to be possible."
He ended the call abruptly, yet his train of thought continued. Why would they avoid a fight? The two of them were assassins, murderers, mercenaries; warriors to the core. Risking life, limb, and sanity was the purest expression of such existence. It would be a failure of their very purpose in life to not battle Sascha, to not enjoy the challenge a superior foe could bring. This job they were hired for was nothing more than a formality, an excuse for the means to sneak into this kingdom and for a sure-fire way to actually contact the infamous monster. The only possible downside would be if this foe was smaller than his legend. A sadly common occurrence.
Headlights suddenly flashed.
"Hey!" A woman screamed out her window. "Quit standing in the road!" Tyrian's eyes flicked to her. The horn of the car he had stopped in front of blared twice. He walked not forward, towards the other sidewalk, but to the driver side door.
"I'm sorry miss," he spoke in such a soft tone that it came off as deranged. "I was lost in my thoughts. Surely you can understand such a thing." He leaned so his eyes were level with her, rain still pelting him as he talked; his smile a sadistic slash across his narrow face.
"Yeah, sure." The woman's tone was instantly different. Any sense of bravery or assertiveness had been snuffed out. She meekly agreed to this stranger and turned her ignition, doing everything in her power to not look at his eyes. She was in danger. "Sorry for any trouble—!"
A scorpion's tail whipped into her car. She screamed. The curved portion of the stinger gently caressed her neck. "Shhh." Tyrian's face hadn't changed in the slightest, not the slightest line out of place. She obeyed the order.
"You should be careful now," he spoke quietly, almost to the point of being drowned out by the storm outside. It was like he was speaking to a baby in the cradle. The tail gently moved downwards, the smooth exoskeleton rubbing her distended stomach. She was shivering. "You're carrying precious cargo. There are some scary people out there, better be careful in the future, okay? Not everyone will forgive such rudeness."
The woman nodded many more times than was necessary. Tyrian nodded back. "Good." The syringe-sharp tip of the stinger slowly moved back up to her face. Ever so delicately it wiped a stray tear away. It finally withdrew from the car. He patted the roof. "Don't be a stranger, now."
Tyrian walked to the rear of the car and continued on his way, tail receding back into the folds of his soggy trench coat.
The woman sat shell-shocked, heart racing with adrenaline, tears streaming, instinctual rubbing her unborn baby. She would never see him again, but those psychotic eyes; their purple hue would haunt her dreams for years to come.
The downpour had developed a sort of rhythm throughout the day. When it swelled the wind blew as a tempest, needles of rain hitting all surfaces like mini hail. When the storm lessened it was a gentle, rhythmic lullaby carried by a sporadic smear of mild thunder. Like a symphony the storm built to its crescendos before trailing off and then building again, repeating the process in random lengths of time. It was so relaxing that the drapes of their bed had been tied to the pillars just so the sound of rain and the feel of the wind could be fully embraced.
Now, towards the end of the day, the last big swell had been several hours ago, leading Cinder to believe that the surprise rainstorm was finally fizzling out. Sure it still rained, the breeze was still frequent and chill, but it was clear this was the tail end of the system. It was a bittersweet pill. On one hand that damned meeting was in less than three hours and it would be nice to not be rained on. On the other, however, the rain had given Cinder hours of bliss.
As was almost guaranteed when it rained Ruby had been lulled into what Cinder affectionately called "lazy Ruby." When they had returned from Clancy's little meeting the two went straight to their room, rain in full force by that time, and so had begun an afternoon of pure closeness.
Intimacy was not loudly proclaiming love and undying devotion. It was not smothering your partner with praise or concern. True intimacy was the ability to enjoy silence. Two souls perfectly comfortable with each other, with no need for flowery words or constant reassurance; in sync, and truly at peace in the other's presence.
Ruby was curled against Cinder's side, face snuggled in the crook of her partner's neck, as she had been for a while now. Their activities had been erratic throughout the day. Watched a movie, took a short nap, and ordered takeout from that place Clancy had been to, as that little platter of leftovers he had given was surprisingly delicious. All of these, however, were nothing more than buffers between their conversations which were the highlight of the day by far, followed closely by the teasing caresses and heavy petting.
Now they simply rested, waiting for the clock to run out and that ridiculous mediation job to begin. Cinder's good arm absently stroked the bicep Ruby had over her towards her neck, finger tracing random shapes almost of its own accord. There was no sound but the rain and wind outside, clearly audible thanks to the open windows. The air inside was quiet, no words to distract from the other's heartbeat and subtle breath. The two now spoke through simple contact and the slightest motions.
It was times like these when Cinder's mind raced. Her relationships, her future, hopes and worries; some people cataloged sheep to fall asleep, she cataloged her thoughts. From time to time she found herself envious of Ruby's ability to switch off parts of her mind seemingly at will. Tonight, while Ruby slumbered peacefully, she couldn't stop thinking about the revelations the last few months had brought.
There was a secret between the two of them—no not a secret, more like some unspoken thing they both understood but neither had openly addressed in any capacity. It was a sensitive and private matter for it involved when they were most intimate.
Despite Ruby's morphus body paving the way for unique opportunities, she was always so hesitant to let Cinder pleasure her. Hours could be strung together while in Ruby's grasp, almost floating in the aether under her masterful techniques, but the reverse? Cinder would always struggle to convince Ruby that it was alright for her to feel good, that she was worth receiving pleasure just as much as herself; sometimes it was more difficult than prying open a metal gate with a crowbar. Even when she did convince her there was always this hesitance, this guard that was never fully let go.
However there were these rare occasions when, at the peak of only their most primal and passionate encounters, when the Ruby she knew and loved just seemed to… break. She would laugh and cry at a moment's notice, both her speech and intelligence seemed to be gutted by quite a substantial degree. There was also this need for physical contact. Even after all of their energy had been spent, after bliss had fried their nerves alongside their hearts, Ruby needed them to be touching. Just a two minute break to go to the bathroom or grab a drink had reduced her usually fearless lover into a frightened child begging for her protective embrace.
Now a change in demeanor was far from uncommon when it came to Ruby. A normal person is a conglomerate of emotions smashed together in a kaleidoscope-like fashion, all these distinct feelings swirling around and eagerly coming to the surface whenever given the slightest chance, sometimes multiple at a time. Ruby, however, had almost complete dominance over her own mind. She allowed herself to express or feign an emotion, as well as when she needed to reign one in.
This was the reason why Ruby gave such a different impression to people, almost downright contradictory at times. Over the course of a day she could run the spectrum of sweet and childish, sadistic and psychotic, a masochistic lover, a charitable neighbor to the local homeless; she could speak to one person with that comforting safety of a protective father all the while giving an embrace that reminded them of that indulgent serenity most kids have when clutching their mother.
It was a completely alien way of thinking, and she had come to the conclusion that no human could ever fully understand it, but that was beside the point.
She'd only had the pleasure of seeing that side of Ruby sparsely in their four year relationship, in fact she could count all of them on one hand. But these precious moments gave her a sense of pride, of ownership; as much of an open book as Ruby was, Cinder was the only one who'd experienced this aspect of her, the only one Ruby trusted enough to completely let go with. How could that not fill her heart with joy?
She was no psychologist. Being around Ruby long enough you'd start picking up on a few things here and there, tangentially learning about the human mind through the way she acted and how she spoke; but all that was not even breadcrumbs when compared to her gem's mastery of the psyche. Cinder understood this so, with the abundant free time she had the last few months, reading had become a priority.
Hardback after hardback, combing through her love's personal library with a voracious curiosity she could finally satisfy in secret. Of particular interest was sexual psychology and physiology which she had a feeling would be particularly helpful for her purposes. It had, but the tone of her research had soured into something much darker than she'd expected.
When she started this little journey it was mainly from a place of reciprocation. Cinder felt selfish almost; Ruby had given her such mind melting pleasure and serenity over these years on an almost weekly basis and yet her moments of ecstasy were so few, so spread out. How could Ruby pluck her body's nerves at will like a musician yet she couldn't do the same? If anything it seemed more like luck that those few special occasions happened at all. There had to be a reason for it and there had to be a way for Cinder to induce it.
Nothing was ever that simple.
The more she read the more apparent it became that side of Ruby was almost purely psychological. She had developed a reasoning that made sense, it explained both why she acted the way she did and why the requirements for her to be in that state were so rare and intense. It was a horrible theory but it placed all of the puzzle pieces together perfectly.
Ruby had done things, horrid things. But she wasn't a sadist. In fact Ruby was naturally an extremely empathetic and emotional person. Her plan, however, was so important to her that she had willingly destroyed her own nature; systematically mutilating her own morality, twisting her soul so violently that she could force herself to do things no normal person would have the stomach for let alone one so kind and sensitive as she.
That realization alone nearly brought her to tears, only compounded by a similarly horrible extrapolation: there was no possibility for Ruby not to fully understand all of this. She had deliberately stunted her own pleasure over these years, preventing that repressed aspect of her personality from surfacing. It was only during those most emotional and intimate moments when the carefully crafted mind of her love became its truest and most sincere.
Those special episodes were, from what Cinder had surmised, a kind of break from reality. During the episodes she wasn't the monster, the warlord, or the revolutionary. She wasn't a leader or a fighter; her hands weren't stained with gallons of blood and her eyes hadn't seen the depravity humanity could inflict upon itself. She was just a child free to express the full spectrum of emotions without the slightest filter, completely free of the horrible world she had forced herself into.
Just thinking of the damage her most loved had inflicted to her own mental state all for the sake of this insane goal of hers...
Cinder's arm tightened protectively. Ruby mumbled something in her sleepy state and flung her arm across the torso which pulled her closer, burying her face into the warm chest like a body pillow and immediately drifted off again. Cinder choked down her emotions. The two of them would talk about it when things finally returned to normal. Right now they just needed silence and each other's presence. The rest could wait.
Sometime later a glossy hallway stretched out in front of her. Noise had called her; the sounds of grimm growling and clawing at something. Their death throes wailed across the region, echoing in the empty halls like it was an abandoned tunnel.
She was on the roof an instant later, sudden and without context. It was like sections of her memory were just cut out, leaving an odd emptiness if she tried to recall how she got here or why she was staring up at the sky. Where was she? Why had she been in some hallway? Where had she been before that? Regardless, she was here and her blood boiled. The man from before, the man that had brutalized her; he was dropping from the clouds off towards the horizon, fist pulled back, tangled webs of electricity uncurling from him in a lattice of energy.
He struck an armored giant, a Leviathan that she only just now realized existed, with the force of a comet hitting the ground. The three-story head was blown to pieces in a flash and thunderous crack. An energetic bolt of energy fried the nearby water even though the majority of it was released into the sky, cracking the air with the form of several dozen bolts of lightning spreading out like roots of a tree. It was only a flash, but briefly the whole of the afternoon sky was so outshined it seemed closer to night time.
The headless beast fell back into the nearby ocean; it looked like a flea had killed a human, such was the size difference. Frothy waves the size of large towers blasted forth in all directions. Those facing the shore smashed into sand and even toppled several trees that happened to be too close. Even though the waves would have needed to be over ten times larger to reach her hospital Cinder was still frightened, her rage gone in an instant - no not gone, but mixed with about a dozen more feelings.
Cinder felt defeated. Slump and beaten. The man who had beaten her, disfigured her, almost killed her - he had held back. He hadn't even tried. The stranger had handled her with kid gloves yet it nearly destroyed her. It was so pathetic that just thinking it left a bitter taste in her mouth. The humiliation was indescribable, but that wasn't enough. Her emotions were on the verge of… of something, and that something terrified her even more.
"Your name is Cinder, correct?" A velvet baritone called to her. She jumped. Where did he come from? Actually, now that she was hearing another human, a curiosity bubbled to the surface: where did the constant flood of grimm growls go? They had surrounded the building not minutes ago.
Cinder whipped around and the curiosity was forgotten just as quickly as it had appeared. Slender yet muscular well beyond her, a five o'clock shadow was the only bit of shading on otherwise unblemished porcelain. Silver eyes held her own; there was an instant pressure on her soul, a heaviness to her limbs and thoughts she couldn't explain. Whatever it was was swept away under a wrathful realization: she remembered this one. He had been with the brute, riding atop his shoulders; he was the one who had needed protection.
"At least that's what your friend called you," the man shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, please go back inside, you still need to heal. We can handle the grimm."
Friend? Did he mean Emerald? So she was alive after all, huh. No matter. This was the perfect chance for revenge, she could feel the sinister sneer forming on her lips; so many torturous options, so little time. An obsidian blade veined with molten lines flashed into being beside her head. That brute off in the distance would forever have nightmares about the day they met. The sword shot with force like a bullet from a barrel.
A swipe of a hand destroyed it; pulverized into a charcoal-like smoke. She gasped.
Before Cinder could materialize another weapon the stranger darted. Quicker than a bullet, a brief smear across space, and a fist crushed her gut. The wind was knocked from her, globs of saliva and tears splattered on the floor; she fell to her knees gasping for air. Were it not for her one good arm she would've face-planted.
The stranger was next to her, having covered the large distance in an instant. He bent down to her level. "I'm sorry about Hazel," he said. How infuriatingly casual. She turned her watery eye to him, still attempting to regain her breath. "He's quite protective of the three of us. Had I not been distracted by your friend I would've stopped it earlier."
There was a nerve-calming breath. "Just. Shut. Up!" Cinder swung a sword that hadn't existed a second ago, twisting at the waist, pouring the whole of her weight into the swing. It was a molten blade like the first, but this time the cutting edge burned a bright red.
Two fingers stopped it. All of her strength equaled out with but two fingers. Why wasn't he getting burned? Even with Aura he should still be at least feeling the searing heat. His poker face was better than hers. "I'm trying not to hurt you, dummy." The stranger actually sounded worried. A palm strike from the opposite hand broke her blade.
The sudden shift in weight and angle forced Cinder to the ground again. She groaned in pain as her elbow bashed against concrete; her forearm was the only thing keeping her propped up. A hand was placed on her back, no doubt some vain attempt at consoling. "I think everything just got out of hand. Stop fighting me and we'll talk."
"You've done enough," Cinder turned with a burning glare. "There's nothing to talk about. If you really want to help me then leave."
He smiled. "But you seem like such an interesting person to talk to. I think a chat will do us both some good."
"You don't know anything about me, freak," Cinder spat. Her anger fueled by wounded pride. "Get lost!"
"Maybe not the details,'' he leaned in, "but I see that worm coiling in the cracks of your soul," his eyes bore into hers. It felt like someone was reading her history like words on a page. "Your shadow lusts for power, but not for the reason you seem to think. You greedily gather up power so you can protect yourself like a dragon guarding its treasure."
His hand slipped from her shoulder to the center of her back with a comforting pressure. "I'm so sorry, beauty can be quite a cursed blessing." His voice was flavored with this slight, sympathetic quiver. "But believe it or not, not everyone in this world is out to get you."
"Shut up!" A molten stalagmite ripped from their roof under their feet. It careened towards the man's throat but he snatched it with his one free hand. In the time span equivalent to a blink of an eye he had caught the attack all the while still attempting to comfort her, not even deeming it worthy to mention; he simply crushed it and continued on.
"What about me then? What use do you think I have in bringing you here? Of saving your friend? I could have let Hazel kill you and be done with it, after all you two did ambush us, but I didn't. Why?"
"Everybody wants something from me," she muttered under her breath. She glanced at him again, only this time her eye was darkened with the purest spite. "If it's not my power it's influence, and if it's not them it's me they want. Everybody wants to take something from me." Her voice was so venomous, laced with a deep-rooted hatred of everything; the world, people, destiny, and maybe even herself.
The stranger forced a laugh. "And yet none of those things interest me. I've never heard of you before so whatever influence you're talking about is moot. Yes you are beautiful I'll give you that, but I have neither the time or energy to spare for a romantic relationship of any kind; I have much bigger things on my mind right now. Actually I just ended my last one not too long ago. And as for power..."
He paused, taking his hand from her back to rest on his knee. A good natured smile colored the tone of his next words, trying in some way to soften the blow Cinder knew was coming. "I have no need for a little Maiden. Your powers would make no real difference in what is to come in the future."
Her jaw slacked. How did he -
He tapped the side of his head. "The only one who knows more of this worlds' secrets is the old wizard himself." He suddenly snapped in the direction of the forest; he was sensing something. He turned back to the shocked woman. "Brace yourself."
Before she could pick one of the hundreds of questions to ask another bolt of light speared into the sky. It was closer, much too close. The thunder was deafening. Her eyes stung from the flash and her ears rang from the sound. Windows rattled, pebbles on the roof danced and clapped together; it was so loud Cinder could feel the vibrations in her teeth. It practically knocked the wind from her. Yet when she looked back to the man he wasn't even looking at her. Now standing the stranger was looking out into the forest, one hand loosely pocketed, his attention completely sidetracked. He seemed completely unaffected.
Has she really become so insignificant? When did she get so weak? And then she noticed something, and her heart sank even further. Rings on his hand, the four silver shimmers in the night that had caught her eye in the first place. At the time they had looked high end; expensive, well made pieces of jewelry that would make for a good bribe to the local crime boss, Malachite. Now at an arm's length she could see the rings in detail in good light for the first time. They were well made fakes; collectively the cheap things probably weren't even worth the dress she had been weaning that night. Emerald had been right after all.
Rage burned her vision. She punched the floor. All of this pain, humiliation, time wasted—for nothing. Nothing! She punched the old brick roof again. It hurt, but not enough. Her knuckles mashed against the surface once more before a hand snatched her bloody wrist. She flashed her rage towards the man once again.
"Stop that. I didn't save your ass just so you could mutilate yourself." Cinder lashed out. Ripping her arm from the grasp, she immediately smashed her knuckles against teeth like a whip. Something pebble-like skipped across the roof. "Feel better?" The man returned his gaze to hers with a steady, deliberate motion, as in-control as his carefully chosen words.
Something on her face must have given it away because he quickly followed up. "You're the calculating type, aren't you? Every word, every strand of hair, every scrap of cloth, all carefully constructed for others' perception. Well go ahead and finally let loose. Break your chains and let the beast free. Feel that rage and energy flow through you. Considering the state you're in, it's the least I can do."
Cinder lunged, even before the sentence was finished. They both fell to the ground. A punch sent another tooth flying. "That's it!" Another. "Release it!" Another. "Let it-" Another. "Wash away everything!" This next one flatted his nose into an obtuse angle. There was no thought, or even physical feeling, it was just primal emotion, released upon this poor soul as if he was the source of all the misery in her life, from the recent to childhood traumas.
She did stop, eventually. With only one arm available it didn't take long before the limb burned to the point of agony. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Cinder dropped. She had landed on her casted arm; it hurt, but she didn't even have the energy to roll on her back. She was so tired, so done. She had exercised all of that pent up aggression and pain and now she was just… empty. Sure she was far more relaxed now but there was this feeling, this hollowness that unsettled her. She was already regretting what she had done, even to this unfortunate stranger.
Wind blew as a flute through the trees. Out of the corner of her eye Cinder noticed plumes of black grimm smoke wafting into the air. They started far into the horizon and steadily trailed closer to this hospital. The brute was getting closer.
Movement drew her attention. The man now sat upright, propped up by his hands. He spat out a glob of blood and teeth. His breathing was labored and ragged. "I'm sorry about what happened. I really would have stopped him sooner." He sounded like he was on the verge of crying; what a joke. A woman's forced laugh then cut the dead air. Odd. Was there another nearby? "Feel better now?"
He was more a silhouette against the blue sky to Cinder at this point but his voice still rang crystal clear. He attempted to stand but fell to his forearms. The same woman that made the laugh spoke. "Damn you really did a number on me. Gonna take a while to get over this." He did manage to stand, eventually, but his legs threatened to buckle more and more by the second.
"What—who are you?" Cinder mumbled. A few seconds later he was standing by her head. The strength in his legs had already begun returning.
A man and woman spoke in unison. "You could say I'm humanity's reflection." Next it was only a woman. "But personally I consider myself a nobody. Hell, I'll be surprised if anyone mourns my death." It took a second for him to next respond, almost like he was thinking whether or not he should continue.
One arm reached around her shoulders while the other lifted her legs. He was carrying her back into the hospital. Had she the energy something like this would've been a death sentence, but in a weekend filled with humiliation this was by far the least of them. She was so tired.
When next he spoke it was a man. "My name is Ruby. It's nice meeting you, Cinder."
Cinder woke up in her room sweat running to her pillows. Something was wrong. Dread was in the air, her limbs were shaking before she had even woken up. Every shift of her comforter sent shivers snaking down her spine yet it took great effort just to move her legs. Things that could have been voices lingered at the edge of perception, spoken with warm breaths on her ear, and things dangerously close to fingers traced a malformed shapes on her body.
Cautiously, awaiting danger, Cinder sat upright. The air felt unnaturally still on her naked skin and she was shivering yet not cold. The voices and groping sensation vanished instantly, as if a product of her own mind. Then she looked to the wall at her side.
The shadows of the room flicked and waved. Outlines warped and darkened, stretching or twisting into thin lines. Tiny silhouettes of humanoid things danced from one black mass into the next, merging and emerging with a hallucinogenic logic. Some dueled with swords, others played musical instruments; one pair was rutting against one another in a mocking parody of human sex while right beside them one was being shot to death by the finger pistol of another.
Cinder was speechless but something else caught her attention. Ruby sat at the foot of their bed, curled into herself. Rocking, shaking. Nails dug into the meat of her biceps deep enough that bloody trenches had been carved, so deep that her blood looked black in places.
Carefully Cinder crawled towards her love all the while making sure not to startle her. The urge to run and smother her with love and affection nearly overpowered the caution but she conquered that. She situated Ruby between her legs, hugging her close, deliberately sharing as much skinship as possible.
"I won't let you win," Ruby muttered, her voice a strained whisper. She wasn't talking to her.
"You're not alone Ruby. You'll never be, not while I'm here," Cinder whispered into her ear. She kissed the crown of her head. Deceptively frail fingers interlocked with her own and brought them both in for a kiss. Even in this situation she could't stop the momentary disgust at the sight of her left hand. Jagged, branching scars like lightning crisscrossed her whole limb, but she wasn't lucky enough that to be the extent of her injuries. Her left shoulder and chest, even her face; she would never be free of Hazel's mark. The disgust was momentary, however, and she focused all of her attention on the one holding onto said limb as if it were a lifeline.
Cinder couldn't help but smile at the way she was being nuzzled.
Ruby had helped with her demons, it's only natural she would help with hers.
Rust River was, at the right time of year, an absolutely beautiful spectacle; a thing to be printed on postcards or pictured and framed. Forever Fall was a forest which earned its name from its unique rusty trees, colored as if in permanent autumn. When the leaves fell, either by natural life cycle or a strong storm, they would flood into this flowing river and form a beautiful layer of Fall like green algae upon a lake. The storm earlier today had done just that though at a smaller scale. Flakes of orange and red peppered the otherwise dull waters; not spectacular, but there was still a rustic charm to it.
Clancy walked upon the bank of the waters. He would certainly prefer his cruiser but this deep into Forever Fall cars were rather clumsy forms of transportation; trees too thick and close together made anything beyond the two official roads near impregnable, and that storm earlier today had certainly made massive mud pits that could easily stick if not outright swallow an entire truck. Even as he walked the embankment he had to be cautious of the mud, a lost shoe or a trip into the river would be quite awkward given the circumstances of tonight.
Assuming, of course, they were still there. He was over a half-hour late.
It didn't take him long to arrive at the location Cinder had messaged him about. Three tiny islands, each about the width of a small apartment, broke the waters at the center. Leaning against an ancient, algae coated rock was Cinder sitting on the dirt, surprisingly. Perched on her lap was a cross legged Ruby. The two were engrossed in some sort of light conversation judging by the giggling he heard on the wind. It was so odd to hear Cinder laugh, with that stern, cut-throat demeanor she always kept on. It was surprising to know she could even laugh at all, let alone that red-faced giggle like a schoolgirl.
At the halfway mark Ruby noticed him first, with Cinder flowing his gaze. It was comical how quickly her expression soured, like she had been caught doing something wrong. She quickly stood and gathered Ruby in her arms bridal. A second-long burst of fire shot them in the air, crossing a stadium-length stretch of river in a handful seconds. They landed not too far away from him on the bank, close enough to talk without outright yelling.
"Sorry about the delay," Clancy called out. "Had a bit of a grimm scare over the last few hours."
Ruby had the slightest change of expression to that, though why he couldn't tell. Cinder was wearing the same dress as earlier today- he was pretty sure she was one of those people who had three or four copies of the same handful of outfits. Ruby on the other hand had changed into something much more standard for him: baggy pants tightly belted with about a dozen pockets, each one, he knew from experience, was loaded with potentially useful items and trinkets. His shirt was a bland, form-fitting thing to be replaced if stained with blood or ripped in combat, and his laced boots were solid and heavy enough to leave deep prints in the muddy dirt.
"Yeah-yeah," Cinder waved him off. Already the cold veneer was being reconstructed. "We got your message. You're not the only one tonight, either."
"Wait, they haven't shown yet?"
"Nope," Ruby answered. "I decided to give them an hour. It's a nice night and I'm in a good mood. Another fifteen minutes and they lose all deference. They did get the message, right?"
"Of course, 'gave it to the guy in person myself."
"Then we wait a little longer," Ruby rolled his shoulders. Several dull pops were heard. "If they're no-shows I'll have to think up a punishment. Stir up old shit while I'm gone and duck the consequences? I don't think so. I let them keep their prostitution rings and all I ask if they follow my guidelines but nooo, they can't even do that."
The following fifteen minutes was pretty short, idle chatter being the thing keeping them occupied. Clancy couldn't help but notice how affectionate the two were, more so than normal. Ruby in particular was a very affectionate person to his closest circle of friends, so much so that, towards the beginning of their partnership, the chief thought he had been in some sort of weird relationship with both Torchwick and Neopolitan at the same time, what with the way he constantly hung off the two them and peppered them kisses every now and then. It wasn't until an embarrassing amount of time later that he realized Cinder was the only one he was actually dating.
Even so, the two seemed particularly invested in each other tonight, especially on Cinder's part. There was this extra air of… consolation, maybe? It was probably because of the prolonged period apart, so he understood that much, but it was still odd to see Cinder, of all people, trying to be affectionate in front of anyone.
Ruby, now sitting on the ground in a reversal of roles, stretched and yawned. "Times up. I'll deal with this stuff tomorrow." Ruby motioned for the red-faced Cinder to leave his lap and stood. Seeing her abject mortification when he had lifted and then plopped her down had been absolutely hilarious, not that he dared to express it in any way.
Ruby turned to him. "Unless you hear anything interesting don't worry about this, leave it all to me."
"Love," Cinder interrupted. "Look at the sky. Smoke."
Ruby and Clancy followed her line of sight to the line of trees which had been to their back. A lazy plum of black smoke was drifting high. It looked to be a good distance away, at least quadruple the length from Clancy's car to their spot here. "That wasn't there a few minutes ago," he defended himself. Clancy saw the glare Cinder had shot him.
"I didn't hear anything, did either of you?" Ruby looked at both of them, and they shook no. He turned back to the line of trees. "Hmm, I find the odds of this being unrelated rather small. Let's go check it out."
Clancy undid the button on his holster. "I agree. Even if it isn't related, there shouldn't be a fire that big this deep in the forest, and that black smoke definitely isn't from this type of wood."
"Lead the way, love. We'll follow your trail."
Then Ruby, oddly, he thought, started untying his shoes. "Wanna play a game?"
….
He charged upon four limbs, his movements more beast than man. He ran in a way no human should be able to. His bare feet and hands pummeled the ground like a wolf chasing prey, each forward stride eating the length of a full grown man and then some; dirt ripped up with claw-like hands. Dozens of feet were past in any given second and there was no slowing down. Two other figures gave chase but were hopelessly outclassed.
No obstacle could obstruct the pace, nor even slow it down. A boulder was completely passed over by a crouching leap; a wall of thorny bushes was overcome by leaping from tree to tree and then back to the grass; a fallen trunk the size of a bus was gripped and then vaulted over with fluid ease; a cliff, home to a raging waterfall, was jumped off of without a second's worth of thought, landing the forty foot drop running without a heartbeat's stop.
As running rivers were skipped, as ledges were climbed, as trees were used as springboards; not once did the man return upright, not once did his pace lessen, and not once did he miss a step. The forest was his world, and everything within bowed to him.
Eventually he arrived at his destination. With a final jump he released himself from a tree branch and landed in a grassy plane, crouched like a quadruped. The near-full moon showered the night with its glow. Bits of metal and colored crystals reflected its cold light, breathing extra life into the area. The charred remains of something metal and man made was the first thing he saw; it looked like some sort of four-wheeler. Then the bodies. Quartered and chopped, ripped to pieces and eaten; bloody remains of what were once human on the grassy plane, a green flat now spattered with blood.
Burning wreckage cast a warm glow across the scene, a smoldering burn on the verge of exploding into a great inferno. At the moment it was giving off more smoke than flame but it was anyone's guess as to how long that would last.
Ruby walked to the closest body, a mere dozen paces from his landing. An arm had been torn off, and his torso hollowed out by scavengers. This one had been gnawed on by a wolf, he guessed, judging by the teeth marks on the ribs. A pack of wolves had probably come across the scene and had their fill for the night; whatever had gotten this one had had its fill with the organs, possibly taking the arm with him for later.
He moved the head with his foot, getting a good look at the face of this man who once was. An elephant's trunk flopped off to the side. His face was frozen in terror, as one would expect. His eyes were still wide with fear, as if still possessing some light. It was as if the man was still in this hollow shell, waiting for release.
A pair of weights landed behind him. "I'm shocked I actually beat you," he giggled.
"Not fair," Cinder griped. Clancy was on the ground as he tried to get his bearings. Shooting through the sky, dragged by the collar of his uniform of all things, and then unceremoniously coming to a sudden stop was awful. He could feel his stomach gurgling.
"Says the one who flew."
"I had a handicap!"
"Excuses," he waved away. "I'll get back to you on it. So many fun punishments I could do," he laughed. Ruby bent down to the corpse at his muddy feet. Cinder huffed. But then she smiled. It took only a few seconds for her competitive nature to give way to the fun possibilities of Ruby "punishments." Maybe her losing wasn't so bad after all.
Ruby began searching bloody pockets. He seemed completely numb to the gore and viscera, but then he had both seen and done much worse in his relatively short life.
"White Fang?" Clancy asked. He pulled himself up from the grass. Oh, how his stomach hurt. No doubt this queasiness would haunt him the rest of the night. It would've been nice to at least have gotten a warning before whatever that was. It would take a minute before he fully appreciated the massacre field he was standing in.
"Not necessarily," Ruby removed his hands from the pockets. "I haven't seen any markings or iconography of the Fang yet. You'll probably have to run prints or something to get any positives on him, but I doubt it."
That, and he doubted they would retaliate this soon. Ilia hadn't even woken from her stupor according to Roman. There's no way they would organize a full on assault yet, besides, whoever attacked this envoy was only one of a dozen questions this posed. Were these people the ones meeting up with them? If so, why so late? This had to have been done only after he and Cinder arrived. And why was there a burning Bulldog ship just here, in the middle of the forest?
So much for a calm, quiet reunion.
"Hey Cinder!" Ruby called out. "Put out that fire and replace the light, please. I'd rather not have this thing blow next to all this Dust."
Cinder responded with action. She reached out with her ungloved hand and made a grasping motion. There was nothing but air yet there was struggle in the motion, a resistance, something fighting her fingers as if grasping something solid yet malleable. After seconds of struggle her hand formed a fist in a tight clench. Sweat dropped from Clancy's brow unexpectedly.
The smoldering ship, the sole source of illumination on this cold night sans the stars and crescent moon, was snuffed out in an instant. He'd seen fire go out slower with buckets of water poured onto them. All that was left was a metal skeleton leaching black smoke.
Cinder wasn't done. The same hand uncurled and shifted into the silhouette of a gun which was pointed at the sky. A tiny fireball licked at the edges of her two fingertips. The flames were shot into the sky with an odd sound not unlike crackling electricity. Past the tree line and then some, and the fire stopped. The dim light, a candle in the distance, suddenly grew bright. Its form became a uniform plasma, its size doubled, then tripled, and then doubled again. The air became warmer though never unpleasant, and its light shined brighter and brighter.
By the time it was stabilized the tiny fireball had expanded beyond the size of his pick-up. It bathed the area in a comforting glow not dissimilar to a little sun. All in all it had taken the time span of seven heart beats.
The hand was lowered. "Thank you!" Ruby called while walking towards the burnt ship. It was no doubt the most out of place thing here.
"Yeah, yeah, my pet. Just make sure to remember this when it's time for my penalty." She turned to Clancy. "Help Ruby look around, would you. I'm gonna keep watch for any surprise guests." It's amazing how quickly her voice could change, from a good natured tease to a cold command, just like that.
Holding back his gag reflex Clancy did as he was told, though hesitantly. He'd seen worse over his years on the force but it never got easier. Shortly after Ruby had called to him, telling see if there were any faces he recognized. In the meantime Ruby attempted to find any identifying markings on the ship. A symbol, a number, a brand, anything. There was no such thing as a "ghost ship," there had to be some form identification. If he had to tear this thing apart to get a hold of a black box he would.
While feeling his way along one of the doors he felt something underneath all the dirt, carbon, and ash. Familiar etches into the metal gave him pause, his fingers followed its shape instinctively despite not being able to see it.
It was a snowflake. A stylized rendition which was used at the crest of the Schnee's, both in business and in family. Ruby placed a hesitant hand on what would have been the center of the design. Such familiar lines and contours; he could remember learning how to draw it when he was younger. Just how many times had he traced these twists and bends?
As a present for their first successful mission as a team he had made everyone on his team: Yang, Blake, and Weiss a handmade wooden box, each having a artistic rendition of each of their personal emblems etched into the wood. Each one had its own design, its own theme relating to the person; no two emblems or boxes shared so much as a single font. Each one took an excess of ten hours all together to put together, and that's not counting the design faze.
He remembered, after fishing all three but before wrapping them, he had developed second thoughts. His work was so ugly, so crude. He spotted nothing but things that needed redone every time he looked at them. Sloppy handwriting, shaky lines, wood not in perfect alignment, screws not matching, etc. He had actually decided to throw them all away. His young self hadn't thought twice about it, after all don't you throw trash away every day? What made these so special? Qrow had been the only reason he went through with it. It was after that discussion the two had when he noticed the concern looks from his parents.
Why here? Why was he remembering these things now? He had seen this symbol tens of thousands of times in thousands of contexts, thanks to the SDC being both the leading Dust manufacturer and the Schnee's being a Noble family. If one had power in any capacity it was almost certain that logo would pop up somewhere along that chain.
His fingers clawed at the soot-stained metal. He knew why. His time abroad had been much more emotional than expected. A shift in priorities, maybe even his dream. He'd decided to wait before springing it on Cinder, to let things settle back into their usual rhythm. First it was the White Fang, then it was Yang, of all people, entering his territory and bringing old emotions that had already been stirred up over the past few months and now this nonsense hurled onto his plate. He hadn't even been back for a full Forty-eight hours.
His free hand reached his forehead. A sudden ache took over his thoughts. It was a gong at the back of his mind, a sharp pain between his eyes and a tightness around his temples.
A ghostly wind blew through the forest. Clancy felt the unnatural breeze through his clothes as if he was nude, completely at the mercy of the elements. It was a unique sensation completely unknown to the man. A chill, yet not completely cold, shock ran down his spine while pleasurable tingles crawled along his whole body. He dropped the weapon he'd been inspecting.
There was a pressure on Ruby's mind. A throbbing ache which was getting worse. Something inside his head was tearing away at skull in a desperate attempt to rip itself free. Tendrils of spite slithered in his veins; hate hooked into his muscles and pulled them tight and defined; the thrashing inside his head became worse and worse. His whole head pulsated with this tight, snake-like squeeze on his vision and thoughts; a vice getting tighter and tighter by the second. He could feel the pressure painfully building behind his eyes.
Cinder, meanwhile, had been circling the plane slowly. Her eyes lasered in on distant possible vintage points and hiding spots. A wind came from behind. It was like fingers through her hair and a cold breath on her neck. She clutched her sides like she was trying to keep warm on a cold day. Her heart beat erratically; she was flooded with this urge to run, to run away and never look back. With a worried twist of her head she did just that.
Ruby was on his knees clutching onto his head with enough force to keep it from splitting. "Ruby!" she shouted. She ran to her partner. It took just two steps when she realized she was too late.
He was at the edge, the precipice of falling into his desires. A single step forward could bring him unparalleled relief and joy, and he could lose himself in a red mist. Colored dots blurred his vision as blood pooled within his cherry-red face. Light-headedness set in within mere moments after Ruby's attempt to suppress himself. Muscles tightened, bulging with veins as that familiar acidic burn flared within every cell from the conscious-straining effort. Forcing the beast back inside its cage was akin to lifting a Goliath grimm by a strand of rope, and about as likely.
Even so, he refused. The key to pleasure was denial, and he had denied himself longer than this before. Only through conscious application of indulgence and stern abstinence could one control their desires, and Ruby was no possessed addict. His will was his own, and his shadow was to be indulged only at his whim and nothing else. He would never give it the control it lusted for. None would control him; not his family, not his kingdom, not Ozpin, nor even the gods he would one day drag to the mud.
That was the way of the Inverted Tree, and that was why he would never let it consume him.
Ruby screamed, a mixture of personal reassurance and the battle cry for his very soul. It wasn't human. An inhuman roar of demonic proportions suddenly quaked the region, billowing trees like a powerful gust and juddering the very crust of the forest itself. The beastly noise reverberated with the screams of the fearful, shouts of the angry, and moans of pleasure and pain; a cacophony of transcendent ecstasy mixing the sounds of murder and degeneracy on a grand scale. And the longer it went on the more distorted and guttural it became.
The noise hit Cinder and Clancy like a hurricane's bellows, and yet only one was entranced. To the police officer the noise which hit hurled him from reality. It blasted his senses with apocalyptic reverberations which destroyed any connection he had with the physical world. He got a peek at the world underneath their own.
He got flashes, a dozen in a second, memories of people long before and long after. Warriors doing battle of forest lands, a woman screaming for help as an invader raided her home, a mother humiliating her child in front of her friends; he saw the rise of tyrants as if he had been the one taking over his people, and he was the victims of his own death squads. He saw the horror of humanity, but he saw charity as well. The soldier sacrificing himself for his comrades and his country against evil, doctors saving lives otherwise thrown away by mother nature, simple acts of kindness such as a gift to a stranger, free food for the dispossessed, a son giving his old man the gift he always wanted but had sacrificed to give him a better life.
The last image in his mind was that of a dual-colored god, big enough to be standing at the horizon yet still reach beyond the clouds. Its waist was wrapped in a sarong of pitch, spotted with numerous glittering dots and spherical objects; the night sky given physical form, its beautiful planets and stars naught but decoration to this godly thing. At its feet were two dragons, one like a lizard and the other like a snake, each larger than a mountain and longer than entire canyons.
Chanting filled this area, both exotic and familiar. It was the song of his ancestors gathered around a bonfire, a chant of struggle, perseverance and conquest. Men, women and children together in unity against a world which was completely oblivious to their pointless suffering.
It turned its head.
Clancy was back in the world, writing on the floor in tight, erratic seizures. When his consciousness came to he planted his face towards the grass and vomited. In the midst of her shivering Cinder ignored the sound of splattering liquid and jagged heaving. She was caught in a vice of worry. Ruby was struggling to control himself. He was in so much pain, she could hear it in that awful growl he was emitting. She wanted to be there for him but her legs were jelly in fear. Her sun was blown away and the area was plunged back into true night.
Cinder momentarily focused on the stars illuminating the sky, her attention swayed less than a second. Her eye had still caught it. The stars had dimmed, ever-so briefly, but light had nevertheless flickered. Even the heavens feared what Ruby was becoming.
Elsewhere, looking out over his kingdom, a wizard felt the disturbance of his soul. He felt reverberations of a worm writhing within humanity's collective unconscious. It was a small ripple, comparatively, but it encompassed the whole of his kingdom. How many people, he wondered, would spiral downwards over this night? How many addicts would overdose? How many domestic arguments would turn into murders of passion? How many crushes would turn into uncontrollable, one sided lusts? How many people would be gripped by a deviancy they spent so long denying, or maybe even unaware of in the first place?
Ozpin released a breath. Humanity was still far too immature to face their darkest impulses, and it seems every decade the species becomes even more fragile to it. The news over the next couple of days would showcase that with crystal clarity. This was why humanity needed to be sternly guided. This was why he had worked so hard to destroy the remnants of Qlippoth so many years ago.
They had been a small, ancient sect who believed that only by accepting and integrating one's sins could self actualization be achieved, founded by a monk of the dragons that went rogue. This figure, known only by nicknames and folkloric interpretations from hundreds of societies that would've been considered ancient before even Ozpin himself had been born; he had been the one that broke humanity, who forbade the Brother Gods from ever again returning to their creations.
And here Ruby was in modern day, rediscovering those beliefs by complete chance: of extreme individualism, a burning hatred of the gods which created all, and a complete rejection of objective morality and meaning. It just so happened that a person born harboring those same ideas would be someone so gifted and driven.
Driven, and, he believes, the first one in thousands of years to finish the Path of Inversion. That was what those of Qlioppoth called their form of meditation. According to the few clay tablets he found, their Path of Inversion was supposed to be a system which allowed an individual to separately confront portions of their soul and/or personality. The deeper one got on the path the stronger, more fundamental and more repressed the aspects were. Assuming one didn't break their sanity, controlled by a deviancy, hatred, or delusion buried deep in their heart, upon completion one would become their "ideal self," as well as gain access to "powers born from an inverted soul."
If his worst fears are accurate then Ruby has stepped into the realm of the only human to make even the gods fearful. Ozpin couldn't help but wonder if Qrow, or anyone else for that matter, had any inkling of the true scale of Ruby's lunacy.
As the old wizard of light pondered his dilemma the avatar of humanity's darkness now stood, all signs of stress wiped away. Arm's folded over his chest, Ruby took pride in his mental victory. Once again he had battled the beast and had proven his will was stronger still. He tossed a glance to the smoking ship. Seems he would need to pay him a visit a lot sooner than expected.
A figure suddenly tackled him from behind. Ah, he knew that weight, those curves and that smell. Cinder didn't say anything, she just held him. He turned around and embraced her as well, taking a quick note of the now passed out Clancy. A realization hit him at that moment. It came as he felt those horrible shivers wracking his love's body.
"I'm sorry," he spoke. Cinder nuzzled into his neck. He repeated it two or three more times, each time tightening his hold on her. "I'm sorry," his voice broke. "I'm sorry," tears welled and streamed from his tightly shut eyes, no doubt Cinder could feel them drip on her neck. His last words broke his composure as the horror of what he had done settled on his shoulders.
"I'm so sorry."
Jacques Schnee was a busy man. Always busy. Being a CEO had a habit of killing ninety percent of whatever free time the average citizen took for granted. How long had he been in this room? He had a meeting with the board of directors soon and he needed to get his presentation nice and ordered. The past week had been mostly this, sitting at his desk for the better part of sixteen hours a day, six days a week, pouring over innumerable documents and trimming all the fat for his presentation, picking out exactly what the board needed to see and discarding the rest.
His door was opened and then closed. "I said I'm not taking any meetings," Jacques said absently, eyes never leaving either of his holographic screens, fingers still a bluer upon his virtual keyboard.
"Afraid this can't wait," a voice that was familiar yet new surprised him. He looked up then back at his screen. His eyes shot back up and his jaw slacked.
The stranger was dressed professionally, the three piece, pinstriped suit neatly pressed and perfectly clean. Her hair was strands of black satin pulled tight enough for the seam along her skull to be visible; leashed into a short ponytail flung over her shoulder.
She was different now. There was no more ambiguity to the face, nor the body or even her voice. The eyes were the only constant.
"Ruby?" Jacques stuttered momentarily, more confused than anything else. In between the last time they had met Ruby's body had filled out. With what his dad would have called "delicious, child-bearing hips," breasts now filled out his—her chest, and the face had rounded, becoming softer, her lips more pouty. Even that voice, whereas before completely androgynous, was unmistakably a grown woman's now. From where he sat he, no she even seemed a full head or two taller since their last meeting.
Ruby spoke as she walked, heels clacking in forward strides, her voice as well as her motions projecting an authority which could have commanded the planet itself to cease its rotation.
"You and I need to talk. Now."
(End of Chapter Five)
Author's Notes: *peeks head out* umm, hello. So, um, here it is, all 12k words of chapter 5. By far in a way my record for the longest chapter. Technically it hasn't been two years yet, only 23 months. Can't say that I planned that but, oh well, life marches onward I guess. Actually you can thank Arcane for breaking a 5-6 month writers block (seriously, it's like RWBY 2.0, so many similar concepts and ideas just done, well, better.) Not really much to add here I guess, look forward to seeing the feedback. See you in 2025 - joking, I hope…
Also this story is now officially called Undivided, just in case you're confused.