Chapter 24
"I'll be honest, had I known even a fraction of the things I knew now back then I very well may have told the others to fuck off when they asked if I wanted to join Jaune's Regiment. I wanted to become a Huntsman to protect the people from the Grimm not fight wars. Sure the few still alive that knew me as a young, stupid teen, would point out that I didn't always live up to that ideal. Which I would wholeheartedly agree but as I said I was young and I was stupid which as any older person would know those two things made a lot of people do a lot of stupid things that keep you up at night as you age. Especially in group settings, doing or saying things that I normally wouldn't have wanted to but doing so nonetheless to fit in. Yet at the time I couldn't help but be enamored by the Arcadians. They did something that neither the Huntsmen of the Four Kingdoms and the so called strongest Military that Atlas claimed to be could do during the Battle of Vale. Then of course they handled numerous operations across Remnant with fleets of ships and whole armies in numbers that hadn't been seen since the end of the Faunus Right Revolution or even the Great War. This however brings me back to my earlier point, had I known the things I did now back then, I wouldn't have looked at them with so much awe but simply with pity for the nightmares they endured alone long before I was even born."
Weiss listened as the faint sound of shouting could be heard in her father's office. He had summoned her nearly twenty minutes ago but whatever meeting he had prior was clearly running longer than what he probably wanted.
A part of her wanted to shut her eyes and cover her ears to block out the noise as her mother had once told her to do when she was very young. The fights she remembered hearing as a young girl had always frightened her though Winter would eventually sneak her way into Weiss's room to comfort her. Sadly she was no longer that little girl nor was Winter around and her mother had long since given up in trying to be anything other than a bitter drunk mess.
The last she had seen of her sister was before the Battle for Vale, it hurt her a little that even after all this time Winter had yet to reach out to her. A part of her even worried that Winter had in fact died during the fierce fighting or at least was seriously injured.
However seeing as Ironwood was always coming around here he would have told her something like that so she could only guess at what reason she had in not contacting her. As for her mother she had seen her at breakfast, albeit briefly, the apathetic face she always seemed to have now had lasted longer than the warm but tired one she had when Weiss was younger. Barely acknowledging Weiss's greeting before grabbing another bottle of whatever wine she could get her hands on in the kitchen before disappearing out into their backyard.
So it was no surprise to realize that she harbored some hatred for her mother now. She knew that Yang's mother ran away when she was young and that Ruby's mother was dead but she couldn't help but oddly feel a little envious of them.
As their mothers were not wasting away at the bottom of whatever liquor bottle they had in hand. Hoping that one day they might not wake up from whatever black out session of drinking they did the night before.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to fully hate her mother, she knew that it wasn't really her fault that things were as they were now. No, that blame fell on one person, her father. At that moment the door opened and General Ironwood stepped out with an annoyed look on his face though it softened when he saw her.
General James Ironwood had changed since the Vytal Festival. Weiss remembered the cleanly shaved man with a sharp uniform and a vibration gleam in his eyes of determination. Now his uniform seemed somehow less sharp, with the beginnings of a beard on his face while being far less stiff. Weiss would go as far to say that he somehow matured since his defeat, as her father loved to say, at Vale.
"Ms. Schnee, I didn't realize you were out here waiting." He said bowing his head in respect which Weiss returned with a small curtsey.
"It's fine General Ironwood, and please you can call me Weiss."
"In either case, I'm glad I found you, I just wanted to let you know that the Academy will be reopening soon and that I hope you'll be joining me in the future. I know your sister would love to have you joining her." He said with a tired looking smile which Weiss returned though she had some doubt about that last part.
"I would be honored General Ironwood but sadly I'm not sure if that's an option for me at this time nor do I think I'm ready to attend so soon."
"Ah, right, well let me know if you do decide that you wish to attend or skip the Academy since you fought at Vale I imagine you have enough combat experience to be in your third or fourth year. Whatever decision you make in the end though I'll support, I'll even back you up against your father." The older man said before stepping away, his boots echoing down the long empty hallway before he finally disappeared around a corner leaving Weiss alone. With a deep breathe Weiss knocked on the door only to hear a muffled acknowledgment.
Opening the door she stepped into her father's office. At first glance it looked to be a rather interesting place of a meticulously intelligent scientist and business man that her father wanted to be known as. Weiss however knew that many of these things were merely fabrications, as her father wasn't nearly as intelligent as he wanted others to believe.
An argument could be made that he was a much shrewder man than her grandfather. He admittedly didn't seem to have been wholly capable of running the Schnee Company when it reached its peak during his time.
Weiss however believed her father was merely capitalizing on the previously established infrastructure and political power of the company. He isn't a super intelligent businessman or a talented craftsman as he simply bought out companies or individuals that didn't have the capital or political pull to stave off the Schnee Company. One could argue buying up and coming talents or business ideas were good but it wouldn't be an apt description of this.
As Weiss was well aware that when these people or businesses were acquired the Schnee Dust Company would rip out what they would view as essential before cutting away the nonessential. Namely they would fire the various employees or individuals that make up these acquisitions, instead keeping what they wanted under new intellectual property or copyrights. Weiss reckoned that if any other business tried something like this they would be hit with anti-trust and anti-monopolization lawsuits immediately.
Under handed business practices, well placed bribes and being cheap wherever they can be might seem like good business management but in truth it was hurting them in the long run. As cutting corners for cheaper labor treatment and techniques that while effective were very unsafe. In turn this caused most of the problems she'd seen plaguing them these last two decades especially with the Faunus or White Fang.
Speaking of which she felt a pang of sadness as she remembered Blake, months had passed since she had last seen or heard from her or any of her other friends.
Regular communications outside the Kingdom have been reestablished but only for the highest levels of government. So only the Council or those with powerful connections, which of course included her father, would have access to the CCT. Then of course the Military would have a good idea of what was happening to the Kingdom of Vale, if Weiss wanted to know what happened to her friends she would have to lean on one of those two paths. None of which were things that she wanted to go down.
"Did Ironwood say anything to you?" Her father, Jacque Schnee, asked as he swiveled in his chair to look at her.
"Yes father, he just wanted to inform me that the Academy would reopen soon." Jacque snorted.
"That bastard is a fool, trying to trick you like he did your sister. He'll be the doom of Atlas and more importantly this company."
"Doom?" Weiss asked as her father gestured for her to sit down.
"Yes, after his defeat at Battle for Vale and the disastrous performance of the Atlesian ground forces he wants to completely rewrite Atlas Military doctrine no doubt because he wants to copy or beat the Arcadians. So he's putting pressure on me to not only have the software rewritten to prevent another wide scale hack but also to pump up the production for the military. On top of that he also wants us to; donate, as many of the old Atlesian Knight-130s that we still have in storage with the updated software."
"I'm not sure how that's a big problem. Didn't the Military contract you had the council sign for the replacement for the 130s pay more than was already necessary for any short or wide scale upgrades in case of alteration requests from the Military?"
"There's a difference between making good profit and making great profit. If things weren't being forcibly changed we'd have at least a few billion Liens from the start to invest back into not just the Atlas economy but the global economy as well. Now it's going to take probably hundreds of millions to R&D the new systems with their backups and failsafe programs. Not only that I've been told that it's going to come with mandatory hardware changes so that's going to eat up time as we scrub the Atlas Military." He explains before pausing to consider something, while Weiss was certain that even if they made ten billion Liens her father would want to hoard the vast majority to flex his financial strength or bribe his way into more power.
"Do you know how many Atlesian Knights were deployed in Ironwood's little Expeditionary Force?" Jacques asked but Weiss shook her head and Jacques pulled out a paper from his desk. Weiss suspected that he already had the paper ready to pull out for this sort of occasion.
"Let's see, in the first shipment there were 4,000 models and he took 3,000 to Vale with him. Do you know how many batches were made since then?" Again Weiss shook her head and he father clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"As Heiress I'm disappointed that you haven't been paying nearly as much attention, maybe if you stopped sulking in your room like a little child about being rescued from that disaster you'd already know the answer." Jacque said with an annoyed look on his face as he dropped the paper.
"The point being there were another six batches made then shipped to the Atlas Military for deployment meaning we'd need to send hundreds of technicians to over a dozen bases to upgrade around 25,000 models on top of holding the current batch back for upgrades which in turn delays the next batch. Then there's more than a thousand Paladins that need to be upgraded and their software is inherently different than the Knights as they were never meant to be auto piloted save for emergency programs in case the driver was injured even then it was only to return to base. But things happened so we need to make sure that it's physically impossible for them to actually be infected let alone fight regardless of how advanced the virus is and his oh so great suggestion was having that it be only local hard links for the Paladin systems meaning we'd need to scrub the software for anything that can remotely link with the Paladin systems as well as requesting that we add a locking feature tied to only three people in their bases. The pilot, the squadron leader and the designated service crew that way it shouldn't move on its own unless it has at least one of those physical keys. On top of that, he also told me that he plans on pushing a new bill through the Council to repurpose all of our major commercial focused factories in Mantle to start producing military hardware from body armor to new ships." The mention of the ships made her father scoff loudly as his face reddened up in anger.
"The new ships alone are going to be a nightmare to deal with it."
"I can see how that's a little bit of a problem."
"It's more than a little fucking problem!" Snapped Jacques before he stopped to take a deep breathe to refocus himself.
"That said there's a glimmer of light to the pile of shit he's dumping on me, Arcadia."
"What about them?" Weiss asked feeling even more nervous but also a little curious at what her father seemed to be planning. It had been a long time since he clued her into something that he was trying to come up with.
"It's simple, Ironwood can have his way with this new bill however I'm going to push forward with the counter proposal that if he wants our facilities while also refusing to overturn this ridiculous Dust export ban. Which he did as soon as he returned from Vale in order to, as he says, strengthen our reserve stocks as well as doubling down on the necessary components for military hardware. Which I think is bullshit; he wants to challenge Arcadia to reestablish the might of Atlas. But that's none of our concern, so instead we'll be allowed to negotiate a deal with the Arcadians, tax free for five years, to offset the loss in profits from these stupid plans he has going on." Weiss nodded slowly at that and despite her apparent ignorance of the current business dealings the Schnee Company was doing she also knew that most of the important factory systems had long since been moved from Mantle.
While it may appear to an outsider that moving workers from cities or major towns to Outland based facilities might be costly. It was a lot easier to hide or bride Inspectors that went into the Outlands to check up on them. The company could cut corners or underpaid their people who worked in the Outlands. So in truth it saved them a lot of money at the cost of proper labor longevity.
This had a particular effect in regards to the Faunus labor that the SDC so often employed, especially in the more dangerous mining operations. The poor view that many people still had of Faunus in most of the Kingdom and even Outland towns meant they didn't have the leverage to fight against the appalling conditions the mines were in. This again proved to be a problem in the long run considering their current strained relations with the more progressive Vale, Vacuo even Arcadian Kingdoms with their affiliated Outland towns. As well as independent Outland states who had enough reason or political and economic force to voice their outrage.
Yet it was undeniable that the almost ridiculous amount of profit that came in had their way with words. A fair number of those so called progressive people would reconsider actually pushing forward reforms or sanctions against the SDC or Atlas as a whole when a Schnee Representative handed them an inconspicuous envelope. As for replacing a labor force it was apparently easier than spending millions of Liens to keep the tens of thousands of workers happy or safe.
"This brings me to why I called you." Jacque continued oblivious to Weiss's own musings but Weiss perked up at this.
"Me?" She asked and Jacque leaned forward clasping his hands together as he watched her.
"I heard that the High Lord Arc's son, Jaune Arc was also at Beacon and more importantly you were friends with him." Weiss hesitated a little but there was no getting around it.
"Yes father we did talk occasionally but we weren't on the same team." Weiss said trying to keep any insinuation about their friendship low but either her father ignored it or just didn't care.
"It doesn't matter. I have something that can grant your wish."
"My wish?" She asked but he ignored her again as he began to talk again.
"Arcadia historically has always been more or less commercially and politically distant from the Four Kingdoms preferring to trade through their allies in the Outlands rather than directly. However with their more active stance in the world again it'll only be a matter of time till word leaks out where their Kingdom is located exactly. What I want you to do is get into their favor to broker a deal on behalf the Schnee Dust Company and Atlas for exclusive Dust mining and distribution rights as direct trade between them and the Four Kingdoms opens up." A glimmer of hope welled within Weiss at hearing this but she did her best to keep her face neutral. There was something about this that didn't sit right with her, especially considering how only a few days ago she had been grounded in her room after that incident at the party.
"I'll do it." Weiss said steeling her nerves to look at her father.
"I know you will but a part of me also knows that you might not get this done in the way I want. It might be safer to send Whitley as your brother has the good of the family name and the Company in mind more than you or your sister." Weiss however shook her head at this.
"Whitely would fail, I know Jaune Arc and he prefers a relative informality and adaptability with the people he considers friends. Whitely is far too inexperienced at dealing with people in a manner that would be suitable in the less formal situation that will arise from this. Using him as a regular liaison would be useful in keeping the details in our favor but I would have a better chance at getting a foot in the door. "
"Maybe but I can't trust you unless you promise something." There it was the catch that Weiss knew would come.
"If I send you to on this mission you must do everything you can to get all the parts of the deal accepted with no deviations or loop holes for them to wiggle through."
"And if I fail or they refuse the deal?"
"Then I'll strip you of your title as Heiress and keep you here in Atlas until I feel I can get some use out of you." Weiss sighed at that, there was no way around it but at the same time a plan started to form in her mind as she finally nodded.
"That sounds like a fair deal father; I'll work to have the Arcadians accept this proposal." She said before standing up as her father nodded.
"Good, you'll leave in one week; you'll receive the package containing the details of this contract along with the contract itself when you leave." With that Weiss left her father's study, she wanted to keep it tucked in but a faint smile grew on her face as she stepped into the hallway. The first glimmer of hope she had in the last few months broke through the clouds in her soul as she hummed softly to herself down the lonely corridor.
Elsewhere…
Ruby wanted to scream as pain engulfed her head, the creature had its jaws locked around her and she feared that it wouldn't take long for her Aura to fail.
The deafening roar of gunfire ripped out along with the sharp cracking of glass and wood while something painful smashed into her chest with a wet splash. Ruby couldn't help but scream as the jaws seemed to tighten in pulses as if the thing was trying to chew her skull the various points of teeth pressing hard on her head. One tooth also seemed to have unfortunately found its way into her ear like the worst cotton swab imaginable as she felt the jagged point of it go deeper and deeper. She could feel it getting close to scratching at her eardrum.
Rancid tasting spittle inevitably leaked into her mouth causing a wave of nausea to form in her stomach that she had to keep down. As she had no idea what might happen if she threw up. The creature bore her down to the ground, its bulk far heavier than what she could lift up though she wondered why it wasn't chewing on her skull.
It took her a moment to realize the gunfire had stopped, at least in the basement as shots could be heard above her, she heard someone shouting her name but everything sounded muffled while her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. There was a rough jolt, and then another before the gloved fingertips of someone touched her head as they started prying the jaws of the creature off her.
More glass and wood shattered nearby followed by a long burst of gunfire. Something warm started to spill down on her face before the sound of bones breaking could be heard before her vision was restored. Stand above her were Gridson and Williamson who were pulling the creature's head off. The handle of a knife was sticking out from the top of its head while Ruby could see the tattered mess of its torso where small arms fire had ripped into it.
Anolia was standing away from them before firing at another creature that appeared at the basement stairs. It gave off an all too human howl of pain and rage before jumping at her regardless of the ragged holes appearing in its body.
"Move!" She shouted and Ruby had barely enough time to get her head together to role aside as the soldiers moved aside letting the creature sail past them to slam into the wall. As Ruby came to her feet she turned to see Williamson dumping a full magazine of her sidearm into the back of the creature's skull.
As the creature slumped forward, there seemed to be a definitive silence as even the gunfire from upstairs has stopped. Any communication that was going on was drowned out as Ruby's ear acclimated to the sudden silence again.
Gridson tossed Crescent Rose to Ruby; she caught it then cycled the bolt reflexively as she looked around. There was another creature that looked to be dead on top of a pile of shattered shelves. Unfortunately the other soldiers that had come down into the basement with them were all dead at the foot of the stairs. Williamson took point as the four of them moved forward before kneeling down next to her team members while Anolia took point aiming her rifle up the stairs and Ruby moved in behind her. She had a hard time focusing as her head ached from the creature that had tried to chew on her head.
The entrance to the basement looked to be torn open, chucks of the door were still attached to the hinges but the rest was missing.
"What the fuck were those things?" Williamson asked from behind them.
"It has to be a Daemon of some kind; I think the farmers that lived here died to them." Anolia said from the front.
"Do you think they summoned them?" Ruby asked looking back at the mysterious door they had come down to investigate.
"I don't know." Gridson said simply as he watched Williamson open the chest pieces of her teammates in an effort to get their service tags before tucking it into a leg pouch.
"Sarge! You down there?" Someone called out over the vox net and Ruby turned to see two figures around the corner of the door possibly getting ready to open fire on them.
"Bennett? Is that really you up there?" Gridson replied.
"Yea but how do we know it's you." The soldier replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Say something that only you would know!" Gridson looked at Ruby and the others before taking his helmet off.
"During our last R&R you thought you were with a woman when in truth you were with a…" Before Gridson could finish the man at the top of the stairs shouted.
"STOP! Stop! That's enough; good to see you alive Sarge is everyone else down there fine?"
"Negative, Davis, Woods, Cooke, and Anderson are dead."
"Shit." Bennett said loud enough that they could hear.
"Alright we're coming up." Gridson called out and the four of them headed up the doors careful of not putting weight on the steps that had been chewed up by small arms fire. The main room looked like a mess even more than before. There were a lot more pocket marks from small arms fire while four soldiers dragged something heavy wrapped up in a blanket out of sight deeper into the building.
"So why did you want to make sure we were who we said we were?" Ruby asked and the soldier that she assumed was Bennett nodded at her.
"Right, I should explain that part, we found a wounded survivor hiding behind a dresser that was in front of a small wall hatch. He closed the door on us when one of the creatures came swinging at us ripping out Hugh's throat out before we could put it down but when we came back for him, he had turned into a creature before taking a huge mouthful of Aakre's arm off before she blasted its head apart." The soldier explained at that Anolia left and it took Ruby a second to remember that Aakre and Hugh were from her squad as well.
"What's the final count?" Gridson asked. The dead count had risen, ten dead with one injured. Gridson's squad was down to fireteam strength if they included her while Anolia had four dead with one injured and then there were the two drivers who were lucky all things considering.
"What the fuck were those things?" The wounded woman asked, her helmet was off and Ruby was worried at how deathly her face looked. Blood was pooling around her and judging by the red bandage it looked like the bleeding wasn't stopping anytime soon.
"No clue but I think I think we figured out the claw marks from the basement." Gridson said and Ruby turned to him catching on to what he meant.
"It has to be a safe room then; those things must have been trying to get in." She said and he nodded.
"Does that mean there are still survivors in it?"
"I can't say, and there's no way for us to tell or signal to anyone that may be in it."
"So what are we supposed to do now? Clearly it isn't safe here since we don't know if there are any more of these creatures but nor is it safe to try moving in this blizzard ignoring the fact that either the people behind these creatures or a completely separate group is hostile towards us." Ruby mused and Anolia looked back at her.
"What makes you think they're completely separate?"
"I mean it makes the most sense, why would they attack us separately? A combined assault starting with the outside attack drawing our attention away from the interior only for the creatures to pincer us from behind would have wiped us out in one go. Instead they attacked us then later the creatures attacked us without them coming in to finish the job off." Ruby explained and Gridson nodded along.
"She's right, maybe the people who attacked us were actually the farmers who lived here." Ruby shook her head at that.
"No that wouldn't make any sense either, why attack us in the first place."
"Didn't some of the locals hear rumors that mercenaries were assisting the Rebel forces, they might have mistaken us for them?" Poole pointed out.
"It doesn't matter, the point is we should stick with the original plan and fortify this position but in a smaller area with the few numbers we have left. I'll provide the means for counter attack, and whoever has their Aura unlocked can stick with me if they chose." Ruby said as she checked Crescent Rose, so far she hadn't been able to do much to help but she hoped that maybe now she can start pulling her weight. However she didn't relish the idea of fighting indoors as it wouldn't leave her a lot of maneuvering room.
"I agree with that for the most part but I think we should go back to the barn with the trucks." Anolia said.
"Why? There probably are more creatures waiting to ambush us there." Gridson asked and the other sergeant nodded.
"Maybe but now we know there are hostile creatures here and it's more or less the same principle except we can also defend the trucks and escape in them if need be."
"Where would we escape to Sarge? There's still a blizzard outside." Hayes, Anolia's Field Chiurgeon, asked.
"I'd rather take my risk with a blizzard than fight who knows how many of these things."
"Se-seconded." The wounded Aakre called out however it was more of a stammer as her teeth were chattering hard from either the cold or the blood loss. Though Ruby thought it was weird how she already seemed to have eaten most of her ration bars from her rucksack which was lying open next to her.
"Honestly, I think I'd prefer that as well, I've got more room to fight plus it isn't as if we'll be separated the barn is still small enough that we can stay in sight and support each other." Ruby said and Gridson sighed.
"Fine, strip the dead of what we need, Williamson go and bring that box you found and someone help Hayes carry Aakre to the barn. Huntress Rose you'll need to take point, if the people that ambushed us earlier attack again you'll be our first line of defense and counter attack." Despite her overall acceptance to that idea it did feel a little disconcerting to be bait but she nodded her agreement. The remaining thirteen members of the group readied up as Ruby moved towards the front door with Crescent Rose in her right hand as her left held the door knob.
With a twist she flung the door open then jogged out towards the yard, the wind made her cloak flutter behind her but she didn't find herself in the middle of a storm. The winds were somehow distant or weak as if the wind was blowing through something to get to them. It was still chilly enough to make her want to draw her cloak around her though.
"It's clear." Ruby called back and within moments the soldiers came out with their weapons held ready scanning their surroundings. Ruby continued moving towards the barn before reaching out to start pulling a side door open. Relief touched her as she saw that the trucks looked to be fine as the two drivers came forward before they started inspecting it for anything peculiar.
"Looks good! We should be clear to go if we need to run." One of the drivers called out from the inside of a truck cab as he started the vehicle with a throaty roar.
"Well that's good news." Anolia said as she helped set the injured Aakre down. The wounded soldier looked almost as grey as concrete that Ruby was worried that the next time she looked at her the woman would be dead.
"Alright, split into two person cells find a section and keep an eye out. If anything or anyone so much as peaks their face in front of you and you don't know them blow their fucking brains out." Gridson called out as he worked the charging handle of his rifle, ejecting a casing that had been caught without him noticing.
"Parker! Stick with Huntress Rose." Anolia called out and the now familiar form of the Aura enhanced soldier. Ruby could see a Messer blade behind her back before they rotated it around on their belt to their left hip.
"I'm ready when you are Huntress." She replied and Ruby nodded in return.
"I'll be lead, cover my back and my flanks if need be." Ruby said as the two of them headed back outside. It hadn't even been a few minutes since they entered the barn but the world looked a lot different. It felt like the time of day was remarkable different than before, the blizzard further beyond the perimeter of the buildings seemed a lot calmer though what wind that was felt was still enough to make Ruby's cloak flutter loudly from its strength.
"What do we do Huntress?" The soldier, Parker, asked.
"Patrol the perimeter of the barn and engage anything that we see, at this point it's safe to assume everything is hostile."
"Yes ma'am." Came the reply and with that the two of them moved through the ankle deep snow as the light continued to fade. Ruby felt uneasy but not as much as before, some comfort could be drawn by seeing the helmed faces of the soldiers occasionally waving or nodding at them as they passed by small windows.
Ruby stopped however as they reached the back side of the barn towards the seemingly empty outside world. What was more unsettling than the vast nothingness that the blizzard seemed to make of the world was the stark difference between the levels of snow. As about ten meters out from them the snow was closer to the level of their knees than their ankles.
"That's fucking weird." Parker murmured over the open vox channel.
"What is?" Came Anolia's voice and Ruby explained what they saw.
"That alone would have been proof enough that some sort of spell or magic maybe even technology is at work here." Ruby had to go with the former option. The longer they stayed there the more her body, her instincts, was telling her something was different as if things had changed without her knowing what that change was or why it had happened. Not necessarily wrong but not something that she could understand which arguably was worse.
A part of her own being even felt off, mainly her semblance or at least she suspected it to be the case. It was as if being in this weird bubble of reality had revealed something about her or possible even change her in some way that she wasn't aware.
"It's oddly beautiful isn't it?" Parker asked and Ruby nodded a little.
"It is but it's also terrifying. To see nothing no matter where you look, the feeling of getting lost as the world both shrinks and expands forever. There is no way or path in sight to reach a place of warmth." Ruby said as her mind flashed to a point that felt like it was yesterday and a lifetime ago of visiting a lonely grave on a cliff. Ruby's thoughts were shattered as a pained screamed echoed from behind them. The vox channel erupting in panic as the sound of gunfire cracked out.
"That's in the barn!" Ruby said as she turned running back towards the nearest entrance, another small door in the side of the barn as Parker followed behind. Ruby couldn't open it however as the handle seemed stuck with no time to spare she simply raised Crescent Rose before slamming it down on the door handle. The frost covered wood splintered under the impact but Ruby was able to open the door.
Inside the barn the acrid smell of gunpowder and the metallic tang of blood filled the air. One of the creatures that attacked them in the house leapt over the nearest truck; in its bloody claws it was holding something. Jumping aside Ruby dodged as it threw it at her before launching herself up at the creature, she was thankful for the high ceiling as she zipped past it swinging Crescent Rose at the same time.
There was the brief sensation of resistance but as Ruby spun herself to hit the ceiling with her feet she could see the severed grey arm of the creature flying away as it screamed in pain and anger. Not giving it any more time to harm the soldiers she fired Crescent Rose as she went back after it. She spun rapidly in air as she went through its wide swing to land next to Parker who didn't even have time to join the fight.
Ruby watched in strange satisfaction as the creature fall apart into bloody sections. She had timed her move right as she passed it getting three good cuts in during the brief seconds of contact of her spin.
"Is everyone okay?!" Ruby called out then looked behind her to check on Parker. The soldier however was squatting down looking at something. It took a second for her to realize that it was a broken helmet.
"Let's go." Parker said before the two of them moved around the trucks towards the front of the barn. There Ruby could see the soldiers huddled in a group.
"Did you get it?" One of the soldiers asked his rifle pointed down but ready to come up and fire in a second.
"It's dead." Ruby confirmed.
"Is anyone hurt? We're sorry but we didn't see it coming so we had no way of warning you guys." Parker added but the helmetless face of Anolia turned to look at them.
"It's fine, there was no way you could have warned us about this. None of us could have guessed Aakre would have turned into one of those creatures." This made Ruby stop as Aakre was the wounded soldier from before that had been bitten.
"Wait what do you mean? Did I really just kill Aakre?" Ruby asked and Anolia nodded.
"Yes but something tells me that Aakre was more or less dead on the inside. Unfortunately none of us reacted fast enough to kill her." The sergeant said before Ruby noticed that there were two other bodies in the middle of the group. One was Field Chiurgeon Hayes, though it was a little hard to tell as his lower jaw had been ripped off. The other was Sergeant Gridson, his helmed head twisted in an odd manner that spoke magnitudes of how broken his neck must be.
"Fuck." Ruby whispered as she looked down at Gridson. Unfortunately it seemed life or maybe death would not leave them alone. As the tortured howls of those creatures started to echo outside, it felt as if they were surrounding the barn.
"We need to get out of here." Ruby said.
"But how? There's no way we can escape without them ganging up on us." One of the soldiers pointed out and Ruby nodded.
"That's true but I can draw their attention long enough for you to escape." This got all of their attention as they looked at her.
"That's fucking stupid, if you do that then you'll be surrounded by them with no real backup."
"True but it's to my advantage, open space, houses or walls to use to quickly change direction while breaking their line of sight. Besides that Parker is the only other one that could last in a stand up fight at this range with them as none of us have the weapons to kill them before they get close. For me however this is the sort of fighting that I've been training for and therefore the best equipped to deal with."
"You're not trying to be a hero are you?" Anolia asked as the soldiers seemed to agree with her assessment and Ruby looked up at her with a smile that grew larger by the second as she recalled a conversation she had what seemed like a lifetime ago.
"I'm a Huntress, I already am a hero."
5 Minutes Later…
Ruby stood in front of the trucks, each one rumbling loudly as the sound of claws scrapping against the wood walls could be heard. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't feel afraid but this was something that had to be done.
Ever since she came to Beacon it felt like she had been constantly chasing after others in order to save them from death but no matter how fast she was she knew she couldn't save them. So now with death at the door she no longer needed to run, at least not in the way she had before.
Now she had to run at death itself.
"Remember! We'll go as far as the vox range can handle, once we're about to get out of optimal range we'll tell you and do our best to guide you to our position." Anolia said through the vox link and Ruby nodded more to herself than anything else as two soldiers quickly pushed open the barn doors before returning to their truck.
Far above them was the reddish orange glow of the sky and Ruby couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since they got here. It didn't feel like it had even been thirty minutes yet if she was seeing things right then it seemed to be late afternoon or early evening with just enough light to see her surroundings.
Ruby jogged out into the snow, behind her the first truck rumbled after her before turning right and heading back the way they had come. Howls erupted behind her and without thinking Ruby dashed forward. She spun with Crescent Rose arching upwards while extending into its scythe form as something came at her from above her.
There was a screech of pain and the severed arm of one of those creatures fell to the ground writhing in pain as steaming blood splashed the ground. Without a pause Ruby moved towards it firing Crescent Rose once to gain some air before bringing her weapon around slashing down through the creature's skull. There were other creatures appearing as they started towards after her as the one before her fell limply. Yet judging by the sound of gunfire rattling out their attention was still being split between her and the truck yet that wouldn't last for long.
Moving back in a spin she cut the legs out from underneath another creature that was coming at her before jumping up with the assist of Crescent Rose to avoid the tackle from a third but not before firing another round into the back of its head. The large caliber Dust round blew a chuck of grey matter out onto the trampled snow as she landed several feet away.
She looked up to see at least another dozen creatures as she pulled out the incendiary grenade that Anolia had given her from under her cloak. Making sure to keep the top of it pointed away from her face she pulled the pin, immediately feeling the heat emanating off it before throwing it towards the other truck still inside the barn.
Ruby was already in motion as she threw it moving backwards as the creatures started towards her. At the same time the grenade went off showering the truck in a whitish red glow as it burned everything it touched which shortly set off the box of mining explosives that they had taken from the main house.
The concussive force of the blast caught Ruby off guard as the blast launched her through the porch pillar of a nearby house with a loud snap; her vision was a mess as her ears rung loud enough to obscure any other sound that she might have heard. However she understood that she was still in danger so she forced herself to get back to her feet to start looking for more of the creatures.
Burning debris was littered all over the place, some of it even on the other buildings slowly spreading the flames however the more pressing concern was the appearance of more of those creatures. Clenching her jaw Ruby dashed at the nearest one that seemed to have survived the explosion judging by its scorched skin and missing arm.
Without giving it a chance she shot it in the head, the Dust round blowing out its right eye socket along with a chunk of its skull away and a second round ripping a messy hole through its neck letting its head flop to the side. Behind it a creature crawled out on all fours from another building. Ruby jumped towards it bringing Crescent Rose down the curved blade cleaving its skull in two as it slumped to the ground.
Yet more seemed to be appearing and Ruby was about to start running when she turned to see a creature fall forward. An arrow tip had been sticking out of its face, several more arrows thumping into it and soon more arrows seemed to be practically sprouting from the creatures still moving.
In the corner of her eye Ruby could see figures darting out, the faint flash of something metal and a limb or head came off. It wasn't that they were fast but it seemed rather like they were popping in and out of sight. Faint blue lines, like water dyed with neon blue, fluttered like morning mist where they were for the moments after they disappeared only to appear dozen feet away their weapons slicing or stabbing into the creatures.
Ruby had barely a few seconds to respond to the nagging feeling that began pulling at the back of her mind as she jumped to the side. Looking back she could see a tall hooded figure dressed in some sort of red fur lined white armor with a green cloak draped over their shoulder. A bow and quiver was strapped to their back but more important was the curved blade in their hand. The figure stood to look at her though she couldn't really see their face since the bottom half was covered by cloth leaving just their violet eyes visible.
"Who." Ruby never got to finish that sentence as she jumped back again as the figure lunged at her again with a thrust but she slammed the blade aside with Crescent Rose spinning her weapon expertly around to smash in the forward knee of the figure.
There was a sharp crack and they fell to one knee but not before a hand reach under their cloak. Ruby not waiting to see what happened dashed forward with the help of her semblance slamming her knee into the hooded face.
As they fell backward something whizzed past her face, following the object she could see an arrow sticking out from a wall. Turning towards the direction it came from she could see another figure with a bow in hand already releasing another arrow.
Jumping to the side to avoid the second arrow Ruby leveled Crescent Rose at the same time firing three quick rounds. The bow wielding foe dodged the first shot but the second and third struck them in the chest felling them.
Another creature howled from above Ruby and she gritted her teeth as she spun in place with Crescent Rose coming up to meet the descending creature. The scythe tip impaling its chest before she slammed it onto the snow covered ground. The creature still squirmed and howled at her before she pulled the blade towards her splitting open its torso letting its intestines slop out.
More arrows flew at her; one glanced off her shoulder causing her to stumble as she turned to see that more figures were coming towards her. A dozen armed figured were arrayed against her with bows, swords and spears in hand. The barn continued to burn silhouetting others but it seemed that they were focused on finishing off the rest of the creatures. She needed to act fast as soon it would just be her against dozens of armed, intelligent hostiles.
"ENOUGH!" A sharp voice called out and the advancing figures halted immediately. Ruby wasn't simply going to stop as she turned then sprinted at a small building before launching herself up towards the roof. She wasn't expecting another figure to be standing there as they slammed a staff into her face sending her crashing back down.
She blinked a few times as a throbbing pain in her nose quickly subsided. Rolling to her feet she swung at the nearest figure that had approached her, they parried the first strike but Ruby was jumping left bringing Crescent Rose in an upward swinging breaking their next guard long enough for her to spin her weapon around taking their right arm off at the shoulder.
At least that's what should have happened, instead something smashed into her body hard enough to fling her through the building's front window in a shower of glass.
She collided with something wooden that broke under the force of her body before she came to her feet. Just in time to side step a staff that held a smooth, opaque mineral at the end that seemed to give off a soft green glow at first glance.
It smashed into the floor shattering the panels where her head had been. Ruby launched herself forward with the intent to knee the figure in the head but they sidestepped her instead but she had been expecting that as she hooked them with Crescent Rose before triggering its firing mechanism to give her a boost to cut the figure in two.
Instead she was stopped as an unexpected weight caught her off balance before she fell to the floor. Looking up she was surprised to see the figure was intact, their staff was holding the curved blade of her scythe back.
Worst of all was the low mournful wail and Ruby wasn't surprised to see one of the creatures apparently still alive, probably hiding from the individuals that had hunted the rest of its kind. Ruby wasn't sure what propelled this thing to attack her but she didn't have time to free her weapon. In the end it didn't matter as the rock tipped staff of the other person in the room with her slammed into the creature's head shattering it in a shower of bloody fragments.
She winced as a piece of what she could only assume was the creature's skull hit her eye, the blood obscuring her vision until she wiped furiously at it until she could see the figure standing over her with their hand held out. The staff was in the other hand and she could tell that it was ready to be used against her though that didn't mean she had to take the offered hand.
"Had enough?" The figure finally asked with a male voice and Ruby slapped it away as she got to her feet again. The memory of the arrow ridden bodies earlier was still fresh in her mind.
"Are you sure you want to do this human?" The man asked and Ruby narrowed her eyes. She didn't see any obvious Faunus traits nor were there any markings that indicated that he was from the White Fang.
"It's not as if I have a choice. You're going to kill me or capture and torture me for whatever end that the White Fang need." Ruby spat, while she bore no grudge to Faunus kind as a whole. The Faunus of the White Fang that knowingly submitted themselves to the monsters that attacked Vale had to be brought to justice.
"While we understand the plight of the Faunus we're not with the White Fang nor are we even Faunus to begin with."
"Though if you really insist on fighting then let me give you a fair warning. You'll lose." The man said as he tapped the staff on the floor and at the window she could see half a dozen bows aimed towards her. A part of her was confident that she could move faster than they could release their arrows but at the same time she knew that it wouldn't be that easy with him standing over her no doubt ready to attack if she tried anything.
"Like I said, we don't want to fight you."
"Doesn't seem like it. You killed some of my people earlier in the other house." Ruby replied and the figure nodded at that.
"Apologies, my people were merely trying to keep you and your people from entering that human structure and rousing the creatures that dwelled within before we could cull them." Ruby narrowed her eyes at that.
"So you're saying that you know what these things are and your method to stop us from encountering them was to try killing us?"
"When you put it like that then yes it does sound bad but aye we know what those creatures are. They are beings who have lost themselves to the torture of…embrace. The only thing that stops the pain is the flesh of sentient creatures. Any who are infected by them soon begin to feel a hunger that nothing but the flesh of man can sate as it quickly drives them mad until all that remains is the pain of memories and an unending hunger for flesh." Ruby understood most of that though the figure had said though she felt like her hearing somehow cut out for a small part near the beginning. She figured maybe her head was still not right from getting wacked so she figured she'd bring it up later, if she got the chance that is.
"So, they're cannibals?"
"More than cannibals, those that fall under…grace, become symbols." The man said as the bow wielding warriors lowered their weapons before leaving them as if at some unseen signal.
"I, don't understand, who are you people?"
"Forgive me human, my manners have slipped as I don't normally get to converse with your kind and for what it's worth we believed that if we had tried to talk with you, you would only try killing us first. The Golden Lord is not the sort to show mercy nor would his soldiers." The figure said as they pulled back their hood. Underneath was a man with braided shoulder length platinum hair. His skin was pale but looked strong and unblemished. With sharp eyes that had pupils similar to that of a cat which would have made Ruby think that he was actually a Faunus if it wasn't for the more interesting feature on his head. His ears were weirdly shape, longer than a human that she stilled believed that he was actually some type of Faunus.
"My name is Kalriel Adroth of the Cailleach and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." Just as Ruby brought up Crescent Rose aiming to cut the man's arm off something hard smashed into the back of her head.
She fell to her knees as her vision swam. She could barely make out the shimmering glow of Aura cracking across her arms. Whatever had hit her must have been strong enough to break whatever Aura she had left while disorientating her.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this fact as your kind always had power to use. Though you rarely ever understand what it is or where it came from but do not fret. My Lady shall illuminate your barely sentient mind of the shadows that surround you." Kalriel said as a pair of hands restrained her. The last thing she saw was a flower with spiraling grey petals, it had an oddly minty smell to it that began to dissolve before her eyes. Almost immediately Ruby could feel her body grow heavy as her strength left her in darkness.
Later…
Ruby woke up with a sudden jolt though she regretted that as the pounding headache she had made her want to just lay back down and sleep. However she knew that something was odd as she didn't feel cold, instead it was actually kind of nice, like a comfortably warm spring day.
Looking around she could see that she seemed to be in some sort of glade, she could hear a small creek gurgling nearby with the soft chirp of wildlife. A soft breeze made the grass and the leaves around shift a little as it cooled her skin.
At first she thought she had been kidnapped or captured but seeing that she had been placed against a tree with her belongings. Even Crescent Rose was within hands reach so that theory wasn't fully sound. Yet something was still off, she could feel it but she couldn't understand why.
"Hello?" She called out as she shakily got to her feet.
"Is anyone there?" She asked again before reaching up to try the vox but found that her communication gear was no longer strapped to her. Which added something grounds for proof that she had been taken in a less than savory way.
"She's awake."
"Yes, awake."
"Is she lost?"
"Of course she is she's not one of us."
"Should we help her?"
"No, she might not understand."
"Maybe we should just watch."
"Can she hear us?"
"Well are we talking?"
"I think we are."
"Can we stop? It makes my face tired."
"No Mama said we had to practice."
"But shouldn't we stop so she doesn't freak out?"
"Maybe we should just stop her from hearing us?"
"I don't see why not, mortals change shape all the time; if we take her ears then she can just grow new ones.
"I'm fairly certain that mortals don't work like that."
"How would you know? Have you ever talked with one?"
"No but neither have you."
"Are you calling me a liar? You should take that back since I'm older than you."
"You're not even that old, we're only six seconds apart."
"That still makes me older."
"Well I'm the oldest so you should listen to me."
"No one cares about the fact you're the oldest, mama says you're underdeveloped for your age anyways."
"I can't help that, you parasites took the lion share of everything that should be mine by right."
"Quiet all of you, she's looking at us." Ruby spun as she looked for the cavalcade of voices that seemed to be speaking all around her. She only stopped as she noticed a set of yellow eyes watching her from a cluster of bushes surrounding a large Aspen tree.
"Hello?" Ruby asked stepping closer as a figure stood up and Ruby stopped unsure of what she was looking at.
Standing in front of Ruby was a young girl maybe a little shorter than her, looking to be in her mid to late teens. She had green hair with that curled around her face and shoulders with a small pink flower tucked into her hair at her temples. However it was clear that she wasn't a Human or Faunus as she wore a strange outfit that seemed like it was actually fused to her skin with the color and texture of tree bark. Then from the sides of her head were two small cluster of roots twisted together into horns. Not to mention her skin color was green as fresh grass.
"Hello." She said simply, Ruby was taken aback at how surreal it looked to see her talk as it looked nearly natural but not quite there.
"Do you know where I am?" Ruby asked unsure of what else she could do or say.
"Yes." The girl said.
"So…where am I?" Ruby followed up realizing that she wasn't going to continue.
"You're in our Glade."
"This is your Glade?" Ruby asked and the girl nodded before pointing behind Ruby who turned around to see that there were five other similar looking girls standing behind her. Though there was some variation between them. Such as the color of their bark like outfits, the shape of their horns or the types of flowers that was in their hair. Even their hair was different; some looked normal while others had an almost flatter appearance to their strands making it look little more like a bushel of leaves than real hair.
As they tilted their heads in the same direction at the same time with the same facial expression however Ruby couldn't help but feel more than a little unsettled.
"Are you okay Human?"
"Do you need something to nourish yourself?"
"What do humans eat?"
"I think they eat plants and animals."
"Ewww." They began speaking not only amongst themselves but to her as well that Ruby was unsure of what to do.
"Does that mean she's going to eat us?"
"I don't want to be eaten!"
"Right, we need to restrain her." One of the odd girls said before an unreasonably adorable look of concentration twisted her face and Ruby heard a creaking sounding as she looked around only to see the slightly swaying trees. As she was looking up she was taken by surprise as her feet were pulled out from under her. Ruby yelped in surprise as she was soon held upside down as a long tree limb held her by her ankles.
"What are you doing!? Mama said not to harm her!" One of the other, girls, yelled.
"It's fine if you don't tell her!" A shrill almost panicky voice shot back before Ruby was unceremoniously dumped on the ground then quickly rolled to the side before getting to her feet as she backed away from the strange kids.
"Please don't tell Mama, you're fine human, you're not hurt, I'll give you some fruits, humans like fruit right?" The strange girl that apparently was responsible for picking her up said as she looked like she was ready to cry.
"It's fine!" Ruby squeaked as she started to back away suddenly aware that there was a chance she could get hurt by these strange beings.
"Do not mind them, they're young and unsure of what social etiquette requires of them." A new voice said and Ruby turned around to see another figure. Standing before Ruby with hands clasped together was an unnaturally tall woman probably taller than Alexander Arc or Yatsuhashi. She had green skin with an odd white pattern on her skin, along with dark green hair but unlike the tree bark outfits she wore what looked to be a large leaf that was formed into a dress. Instead of the root horns that others had she had white antlers. She had what Ruby could only describe as a beautiful but motherly look about her face yet the black eyes that seemed to absorb like left Ruby feeling unnerved.
"So I guess you're the one I need to talk to in order to figure how where I am and what's going on?" Ruby finally said her fingers twitching slightly as she wanted to pick up Crescent Rose.
"Apologies, you may call me Chrysopeleia, these are my young ones." She said bowing at the waist slightly as the cluster of smaller girls ran to encircle her in a group hug talking over each other that Ruby couldn't tell what they were saying exactly.
"Okay then, now where am I?" Ruby asked looking around.
"You're currently in a young Primal Tree." She said and Ruby cocked her head to the side.
"What?" The strange looking woman sighed.
"You're currently unconscious; your body is resting in the protection of a tree from the winter storm that should be finished by now. You were also placed there so that we may communicate."
"Unconscious? Then how am I here right now, or even talking to you?" Ruby asked though she had a feeling that she knew the answer as she paused to get her thoughts in order.
"This, it's a dream isn't it? Or like a dream? It explains why I'm standing in what looks like a springtime clearing surrounded by weird looking people. That Kalriel guy drugged me or something and now I'm having this weird dream."
"Heey." One of the young girls called out in protest but Ruby ignored her.
"Or is it real? Am I really talking to someone else that's in my head right now?" She asked and the woman stepped closer. Ruby caught the faint whiff of flowers as surprisingly cool hands touched her face.
"You are safe child; we're not here to hurt you." She said before Ruby stepped back.
"I see she's awake now." A new but faintly familiar voice said behind her causing Ruby to turn around to see Kalriel who stood with four other people, three of them women with another man.
"Yes but I'm not sure if this is such a good idea, you should have brought back the scion of the Golden Lord but it matters not as I shall take care of her before sending her back to her people." Chrysopeleia said.
"Hmm." Kalriel said before looking at the much better dressed older woman behind him. She had white hair with deathly pale skin; green patterns seemed to have been tattooed onto her skin and around her eyes. In her hand was a long slender staff with an ornate green gem at the top, though unlike Kalriel's staff which looked hefty and meant for combat. Her staff looked far more delicate that Ruby was sure she could snap it in her own hands.
"Chrysopeleia is correct; this one will not understand the things we have to say. I understand that your intent was for good but be mindful that we cannot just take any individual from the outside and bring them into our care without understanding the risks."
"I understand but you always warned us about how the Golden One and his kind are not ones to parley with our kind. I thought an intermediary would suffice." Kalriel said as he bowed. A woman in an odd looking set of fitted white armor holding a helmet with a red top knot in one arm and wielding a long bladed spear scowled.
"You weren't meant to think Kalriel, your mission was merely to eliminate the nest, not bring one of those, primitives, here." She said with a husky voice and violet eyes that practically flared with violence.
"If need be I can deal with, her, after this, they fight amongst themselves like feral beasts they are. Better to keep them weak than becoming a threat to our safety."
"I can't allow you to spill blood in such a manner in the vicinity of a young one." Chrysopeleia said Ruby shrunk back at the hint of violence that seemed to be rising but the other armored woman did not seem to mind.
"I do what I must not only for my people but for you as well." The armored woman said but the white hair woman broke into the conversation.
"Enough, respect the Primal's wishes. No one is to harm this one, there's something about her that we must not interfere in. I believe it would be in our best interest to return her to her people." The woman said and the white armored woman turned to her with obvious outrage.
"But my Lady!" At those words the relatively thin staff struck the grassy ground. Ruby was taken aback when instead of a soft thump there was something more akin to metal striking rock. The clearing seemed to grow still as everyone could feel not only the sense of dread in the air but the pressure of indescribable power that seemed to well up from the woman.
"I. Said. Enough. Do not push me on this Laethanis."
Ruby watched as the armored woman easily back downed before bowing her head that's when it struck her what she must have been. Ruby finally realized that this staff wielding woman may in fact be what the Arcadians called Mages. Unlike the twisted, evil being she had fought in the Hurin Valleys, this Mage was for all intents and purposes good. Or at least in comparison good, as there was still a chance that she would be forced to fight for her life here.
"As for you young one, I'm afraid young Kalriel here made a mistake bringing you here and for that I apologize." She said and Ruby felt compelled to respond anyway she could.
"No, it is fine, I'm actually kind of grateful since it's not cold in here even if it's not actually real." She said not sure what was really going on but starting to get the impression that she wasn't going to be there for long.
"You shouldn't be." The woman said simply before turning to leave and just like that Ruby was left standing there unsure of what was going on. Though Chrysopeleia and Kalriel were with her while the odd children ran off into the trees yelling something about squirrels.
"I can see you have a lot of questions." Kalriel said and Ruby felt her eye twitch in annoyance.
"I ought to kick the crap out of you for dragging me to wherever this place is."
"And it wouldn't be unwarranted but there are good reasons."
"What reasons would it be?"
"I can't say."
"Then there wasn't any reason."
"There are reasons just ones that don't concern you."
"Yet you brought me here."
"That's true."
"So then that makes it my concern."
"Well yes but actually no. You were picked by happenstance, what needed to be done is to bring a message to the leader of the forces that you've aligned yourself with." Chrysopeleia interrupted.
"What message?"
"Don't worry about it little one, when you wake up, you'll have what you need to pass along." Kalriel said and Ruby looked at him unsure of what he was saying as she took a step towards him. Chrysopeleia reached out with her hand, palm held up, Ruby could see a green bud sprout from her palm before blossoming into that strange flower she had seen before passing out only to see it start dissolving again into a fine mist that wafted around her head.
"You…don't have…to do this…I can help." She said between deep breathes as she tried to looking at them but her vision was beginning to blur.
"We believe your sincerity young one but as the Lady said your destiny lies elsewhere." Chrysopeleia said as her cool hands holding Ruby's head as she was vaguely aware of slumping down in the grass. Only to have her head placed in the woman's comfortable lap, a faint musical hum filling her last seconds before nothingness took her.
She woke with a start again as something shockingly cold touched her face. With her head spinning, Ruby tried to stand but only managed to sit up, something heavy was resting against her and it took her several seconds to push it aside with a loud thump.
"Was any of that real?" She wondered aloud before finally taking in her surroundings, she was in a dark place with the only light coming in from a small slit in the wall. Blinking a few times to clear her vision Ruby began to see that she was indeed in what looked to be a large tree though the flakes of snow coming through the opening meant she was in the real world. Which Ruby realized was wrong as she should have been amongst the burning farm buildings. Next to her was her pack, Crescent Rose and the odd heavy object that she had pushed away.
A soft buzzing sound caught her attention and Ruby looked down to see her vox unit was dangling across her chest before she picked it up to replace it back into her ear.
"Sarge, there's no way she's still alive, we haven't heard from her in hours."
"Doesn't matter, the patrol said that there was another faction involved in the incident. We need to at least find a hint that they might have taken her."
"I know that but that storm was hours ago, whatever signs there may have been would have been erased long before we got here." Ruby listened in as two unfamiliar voices were speaking and she suspected that they were talking about her. It seemed that some time had passed since her fight at the farm.
Ruby crawled out of the tree grimacing as her hands and knees sunk into the cold snow that covered the ground on the outside. Once out she turned around to see the tree she had been in was indeed rather distinctive. It was easily forty meters tall, making it tower over the other nearby trees by at least five or more meters. She wondered if this was what that, woman, had called a Primal Tree.
Ruby frowned as she realized she couldn't recall why she thought that. Her head began to throb as she tried remembering what the name of the strange woman, or at least she thought it was a woman that had told her that. If Ruby had to describe it, it felt as if she knew she had heard and seen something but couldn't get a clear picture of what it had been while it was just fading more by the second. Yet a part of her also knew that there was a message that she was supposed to be giving.
Glancing back at the strange object inside the tree with her things she supposed that was what she needed to deliver though she had no idea what it really was. Questions for later she supposed she was woefully out of position and not in the best condition to get into a fight let alone survive in the wilderness during winter.
"This is Huntress Ruby, attached to 2nd Battalion's 2nd Company to any nearby units. How copy?" She asked as she activated the vox unit.
"2-1-Bravo reads you 2-2. Interrogative, what's your 10-20?" A voice replied identifying itself as 2nd Company 1st Platoon's Bravo squad.
"I'm unsure of my exact location to your vicinity, currently in a forest next to a large tree that's larger than the surrounding trees." Ruby replied.
"Stand by." The voice said and Ruby had time to do a breathing exercise before she scooped up some snow to press it against the back of her throbbing head.
"2-1-Bravo to Huntress Rose, I believe you're currently to our north, proceed south and we'll see about meeting up with you." The voice over the vox said after several minutes, Ruby vaguely placed the voice to be that of Lawson, the squad Sergeant.
"Acknowledge, moving south as soon as able." Ruby replied, she turned around and headed back into the opening in the trunk of the tree she had come out of. Inside she grabbed her pack in which she pulled out a small compass to know exactly the direction she needed to go before grabbing Crescent Rose and the odd metal object.
Though she was surprised to find how heavy it was that she had to first pull it out before she was able to lift it up properly. Even then she had to use both hands to keep her grip from slipping. With a grunt of annoyance, Ruby began walking south, mindful of the snow and her surroundings. It wasn't long until she found herself clearing the forest to see a relatively flat landscape with a few distant hills dotted with more trees. As she set the metal object down and lifted Crescent Rose to peer through its scope she could actually see a Tauros cresting a hill.
"Well that's convenient." Ruby remarked as she looked down at the object before deciding to give it a thorough inspection to see exactly what it was.
It was slightly curved but surprisingly thick, the inside was grey with odd looking sockets with tiny mesh fibers inside. The edges were jagged which seemed to indicate to her that it was from something larger before she turned it over. It appeared to be the outside of it as it had a worn down purple paint job but more importantly was the strange faded golden symbol on it.
Ruby felt her throat go dry for some reason as her headache began to return as she looked at the unfamiliar but eerie symbol of a winged talon clutching a skull over an eight pointed star.