My apologies to everyone for how long this took to come out. I've been battling failing RAM for a month before I got it fixed. Thank god I have my original manuscript on like two cloud storages in case something like this ever happened.
Totallynotaduck: Honestly? Chaos will ensue in the coming chapters.
Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for RWBY V9 EP 1, granted it's my own spin and all I really use is the setting. If you haven't seen it and want to remain mildly spoiler free then I will mark it.
Chapter 88- Rough Landing
White noise, the everpresent ringing slowly fading away as consciousness took over. Nova and Ruby were the first to awaken on the beach, the coarse sand stuck to their faces as they groggily stood up trying to register their surroundings. Peeling past the initial glare of sunlight penetrating their eyes for the first time in a while, they were able to at least get a visual of the environment.
They were on a vast expanse of brown sand aside from a deep treeline and broad expanse of land, the wreckage of their ship everywhere. The first thing they noticed was that despite the damage, the ship seemed mostly intact structurally, there were dozens of engine parts everywhere, but at least it survived.
Ruby groaned, "Ugh why do I feel like I got hit by a truck…"
"Not just you babe… fuck… where is everyone else?" Nova scanned the beach. Around them everyone was more or less scattered around, he counted Yang, Blake, Weiss, Neo, Oscar, Luna, Hex, Sun…
"NITRO!" he yelled out while Ruby went to check on everyone else. "NITRO WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Ugh… why are we yelling…" Blake said clutching her head in pain.
Neo hauled Weiss onto her lap and checked her, she was unconscious but otherwise alright. Oscar protected Luna but he took a nasty bruise to the back and Sun was laying with his head in the sand, only to be yanked out by Blake.
Elain washed up on the shore a few seconds later covered in seaweed, she was fully conscious just exhausted, "That was one hell of a speed bump… are you kids okay?"
"Huh? Anyone get the plates on the thing that hit me…?" Sun grumbled as he shook the sand off his body like a puppy, "And I'm okay Doc."
"NITRO?! COME ON BUDDY ANSWER ME!" Nova panicked as he ran around the beach searching the wreckage for any signs of the redhead.
Hex heard her brother's name and shot up, "Where is he?!"
Nova stopped and looked at her with worry, "No clue! He was with us when we were speeding but after we crashed… fuck I can't remember anything…" then he looked around again and did a double take, "SHIT WE LOST GAUGE TOO!"
"GAUGE?! YOU OUT THERE?!" Ruby yelled at the top of her lungs as she petal burst around the beach only to come up empty.
Hex pulled up her Aura tracker on her scroll, thankfully it was still working. Both vitals showed that they were alive, but they had no idea where they were.
"They're both alive… I can confirm that. Where in the hell are they though?!" Hex tried scanning the horizon.
"Never mind them… where are we…?" Yang asked, shaking the sand from her hair. They were alone on a beach surrounded by nothing but water, sand, and a dense jungle.
Nova stopped his frantic rummaging and collapsed defeated in the sand. It was supposed to be simple, just make landfall and figure it out from there. Now they were two men down and a ship in desperate need of repair. Things were not looking good... not in the slightest.
Ruby walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was times like this that she needed to be his rock, the solidified voice of reason, "Hey… it's just a minor setback. I'm sure they're fine. Nitro's a big boy and Gauge isn't a slouch either, they'll find us on their own. Just… have some faith in them."
Nova held the hand, right now his team needed a leader, and Ruby couldn't do it alone. He could stress about his brother-in-arms and his estranged clone later.
"Yeah… okay," he got up and gathered everyone together, "Alright. Hex, status on the ship."
The purplette sighed, "She's intact mostly, engines are fried, sails are shot and the hull's got a chunk of it missing. We still have a decent chunk of our supplies and all of our stuff is still on board."
He nodded, "What about communications?"
"Coms are dead, any transmissions we can send are scrambled too much to make it to the mainland. We're radio silent out here."
Ruby placed her hand on her chin, "What about location? Do we have our bearings?"
It was Sun's turn to scope out the beach, jumping from rock to tree, climbing up to the top of a particularly large tree to get a lay of the land. Once he was done he scrambled down and pulled out his copy of the holographic map, "Well… my guess is we're somewhere here…" he pointed to the south coast near a peninsula.
Blake whistled, "That was… mildly impressive."
Sun beamed, "Hehehe, I'm an expert survivalist."
Nova nodded, "I'm actually glad to have you with us… thanks man," he turned to Neo, "How's our favourite Schnee?"
'She's fine. Just out cold, she'll be awake soon I hope.' She signed.
Nova blanched, "Right… I can't read sign language… sorry, Neo."
Neo rolled her eyes and typed out her message on the scroll.
"Oh… well see if you can wake her. Oscar, Luna," he looked at them, "How are you guys holding up?"
Oscar groaned heavily as he struggled to his feet, clutching onto Luna like a crutch, "I'm… fine. Nothing a little Aura can't fix…"
Luna kissed his cheek, "That's a nasty bruise on your back sweetheart, it's going to hurt for a long time after it heals. Thanks… by the way… for protecting me."
"Hey… what can I say. I got your back…" he joked.
Yang snorted in laughter, lightening the mood, "Oh good one kid!"
Oscar laughed but then flinched, "Why does it hurt to exist?"
The dragon prince had a newfound respect for Oscar, more than he had before, "Come on kid, we'll get you patched up."
"Hex, Yang, and Blake, you guys secure whatever provisions we have left. We might have to ration the food and water until we can find some naturally. In the meantime, what do we do about the ship?" Ruby gave orders as she inspected the Dragonfire.
Hex rubbed her head sheepishly, "I actually expected this to happen."
"WHAT?!" they all exclaimed.
"Well I had a failsafe on the ship in case we needed to hide it…" she jumped on board, "Let's hope she still works…" after some loud clanking of metal the ship suddenly shrunk in size, ejecting all cargo (Which included Ruby and Yang's motorcycles) and Hex, until it was the side of a toy.
"Uh… how is that physically possible?" Yang asked in awe.
Hex smiled, "I applied the same concept I use for my hyper-compressed storage cubes. Like I said, don't think too hard." She kissed her girlfriend on the cheek before storing the ship safely inside one of her cubes.
"You put a compressed object into a more compressed compartment… it's like compression-ception!" Sun marvelled.
"That's not going to cause like a black hole to appear or something is it…?" Oscar asked hesitantly.
"Nah it's fine. It just goes subatomic."
"…."
"Okay… now that's taken care of… how about we get off this beach before nightfall? If we're where Sun says we are then there should be a mountain west of our location. If we can get to higher ground we can start looking for these tribes…" Nova explained as he began mobilizing them.
Neo woke Weiss up with a few gentle nudges, stroking her cheek and eyeing her lovingly as if the ex-heiress would ever pick up on her feelings.
"Morning beautiful~," Neo thought.
Weiss who had passed out clutching the Cryoseki heard the voice and instantly turned beet red, "Uh… Neo? Did you just talk?"
Neo tilted her head in confusion, 'No…? Are you okay?' she signed.
Weiss shook herself off, "Must be the crash messing with my head…"
"Everyone ready? Now… to figure out where to start…" Nova said when a voice called out from the treeline.
"I can help with that!" it was a high-pitched male voice causing everyone to freeze.
Instantly weapons were drawn and aimed at the source of the noise.
"WOAH! EASY GUYS! EASY!" the person stepped out from the shadows, it was a raccoon Faunus with a tail and ears (A/N: It looks more like a tanuki but RWBYverse doesn't have Tanuki so this is the compromise). He was wearing a leather jacket over a loose-fitting blue undershirt and cargo pants. On his back was a rather large backpack that seemed to overpower his short size.
"Who are you?" Ruby asked carefully, her weapon not moving an inch.
The raccoon man quickly set his bag down and approached slowly, "My name's Slug, not that I'm a slug it's just what everyone calls me. Well… actually my name is Jerome but no one calls me that so…"
"Get to the point. What do you want with us?" Nova snarled, bearing his fangs.
He recoiled for a moment when he looked closer, "Wait a minute… horns, scales, fangs, claws… that hair… those eyes… OH, MY STARS ARE YOU A DRAGON?!"
The raccoon, forgetting all forms of fear, scampered up to Nova and touched his face, inspecting everything. Then he spied Luna and tried to run to inspect her but Nova grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up to eye level, "Stop dodging the question!"
"I'm not dodging it! I just… I haven't seen a dragon before! Sure there are tales of you guys but to see one in person… wow! Such an honour to meet you, your majesties!" he took his little hat off and bowed his head.
Nova blanched and put him down, realizing he wasn't a threat the rest followed suit.
"Okay… Slug was it? My name is Nova Flareheart, and this is my fiancé Ruby, my little sister Luna and the rest of our friends…" he went on to introduce everyone. "Can you please explain how you found us?"
"A Flareheart! Oh, what a wonderful day this is!"
"SLUG!"
The raccoon man nodded, "Okay okay, so I was wandering the beach, minding my own business… picking up treasures when low and behold the sleeping sea titans wake up and then a bright flash of light appears, turning them to statues! Then a ship comes crashing onto the shore and then out pops you guys!"
"Wait you were… just out here? And what about the Titans?" Weiss asked confused.
He smiled sheepishly, "Well I'm a junk collector! Occasionally stuff washes up on this shore from places I've never seen before, crazy stuff! Like your ship for example. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I find not only are you guys alive, but you're all wearing such weird getups! My first instinct was to hide."
"Well that explains that… but what about the titans?"
"Oh, they just went back to sleep after. They only care about the sea, they more or less leave the land alone." He said this as if it was common knowledge.
"Say… what kind of Faunus are you?" he looked at Weiss, Yang, Hex, Ruby, Oscar, and Neo, "Don't think I've seen ones like you before…"
"We're… human?" Ruby voiced questioningly.
"H-H-HUMAN?! OH NO PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" he shrunk down in fear.
Ruby blinked, "Eat you, why would I eat you?"
"Don't all humans eat Faunus? Aren't you guys like super-predators or something?! That's what the stories say…"
Weiss was flabbergasted, "Excuse me, I'll have you know that I am not some monster, thank you very much." She made a hmph sound.
Slug slowly raised his head, "So you aren't here to eat me? Then what are you here for?" then he quickly looked at the dragons, "Not that I would dare question his majesty…"
Nova groaned, "We're here to meet the different tribes and take the fight against the Grimm. Can you take us to see your leader? Or someone in charge?"
Slug tapped his chin, "Well… I don't know about meeting with the different tribes… but there is a kingdom not far from here. I can show you the way if you want?"
Nova blinked rapidly, "A Kingdom? Sun did you spot anything when you climbed the tree?"
Sun shook his head, "Sorry cap'n, the foliage was too dense to make much past our immediate vicinity."
"Yeah, the trees will do that to yah. They also don't like people climbing them so you're lucky they didn't smack you! Although these near the coast are pretty tame…" Slug commented.
Hex almost fell over, "The trees… are sentient?"
"Well duh… though sentience is a little much. They just have awareness or something… not really sure how it works. Don't really care." Slug said nonchalantly.
Yang scratched her head, "Great… just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder…"
Slug looked them over, "Well… if you guys want to go into the kingdom then you'll need some disguises… you know… so you don't freak out the people there. Not everyone is as accepting as I am."
"Where are we going to get disguises?!" Weiss deadpanned.
Hex rummaged through her bag of gadgets, "Well…"
"Don't tell me you prepared for this too?!" it was Oscar's turn to be surprised.
"Heh… maybe~" she pulled out a set of black chokers with a technological buckle, "Just slap these on and it'll work for a disguise… though it's all holograms so if anyone touches them they'll figure out instantly. They also don't animate so… yeah…"
Everyone took a choker and Oscar raised an eyebrow, "You don't have any other styles…?"
"Sorry kiddo, besides, I hear chokers are all the fashion craze." Hex winked.
Oscar sighed and put his on, when he did his head sprouted a pair of small antlers like a young deer. "Oh…"
Weiss begrudgingly placed hers on and sprouted a pair of white cat ears, "Oh you have got to be kidding me…"
Neo laughed silently and signed, 'You look so cute!'
"I am not cute!"
"Oh god, you are! They suit you, cousin!" Nova cackled madly.
"Quiet you!" she then grabbed Neo's choker and snapped it around her neck and Neo grew a set of whiskers and mismatched bunny ears, one brown and the other pink.
'A rabbit?' Neo signed and Weiss translated.
Hex shrugged, "I didn't have many models to work with so I only have a cat, bunny rabbit, deer, and wolf. I tried to replicate Nova's horns but they just came out all weird."
Yang had on a pair of bright yellow lion ears, and Hex sported a pair of purple wolf ears.
"Alright, your turn Ruby," she moved to hand her one, "Cat or dog?" she giggled.
Ruby pondered for a moment before grabbing the wolf one and donning it, she grew a pair of black wolf ears with white fluff. "Does it look weird?"
Nova chuckled and kissed her, "You look adorable."
"Alright you two, you can admire each other later. Let's get out of this sun already!" Hex complained.
Slug picked up his bag, "Alright then! To the Kingdom of Luxalia!"
As they moved through the thick jungle, carving a path toward the kingdom of Luxalia, Slug was humming along to a tune they didn't know while occasionally stumbling over rocks that were slightly too tall for him to step over.
"So… how was the trip across the sea?" Slug asked, trying to make small talk.
Nova shot him a dry look.
"Right… right… so…" he continued awkwardly, "What's a pair of Dragons doing back in Pandora after all this time? Thought you guys were wiped out."
Nova shrugged, "As I said earlier. We're here to hopefully unite the different tribes against Salem. As for why we haven't been here before… that's… complicated."
He hummed, "Honestly after what happened to you guys, I'm surprised you survived. Also… what makes you think the kingdoms need uniting?"
The prince blinked, "I… that was the situation on the other continents… so I guess we sorta assumed? Sorry… what exactly is the state of this place?"
Slug tapped his chin, "Well, Luxalia is the largest kingdom on the continent and is home to many Faunus species and ruled over by the Lightmane family. Over to the east is the kingdom of Oceanis, they are ruled over by the Prismafin family, and to the north is the Bladewing family who rules over the Skyrange kingdom."
"How are the relations between the kingdoms?"
"Well, we more or less live in cooperative unity, each Kingdom supplying unique skills and trades to keep the continent self-sustainable. For example, Luxalia has amazing agriculture and is a central trade spot. They don't exactly hate each other… more like they work for mutual benefit."
Luna was puzzled, "Wait… if you guys are working together… then what of Salem's forces?"
"Who's Salem?" Slug asked dumbfounded.
"You know… big scary pale lady who controls all the Grimm?" Luna offered.
Recognition struck him, "OH! You mean the Grimm Queen?"
"Yes, her."
"Didn't know she had a name… well the Skyrange Kingdom controls the borders between us and the dark lands. They pretty much keep us safe. The other kingdoms send help to the borderlands when they need to but otherwise, the situation has been pretty much a stalemate for as long as we've known." Slug gave them the rundown.
"So how do we get an audience with the King?" Elain was the one to ask this.
Slug shrugged, "Beats me. No one gets to see him unless you have like royal authority or something…"
"I assume the long-presumed dead Prince and Princess don't count?" Luna asked rhetorically.
"Well… everyone knows you guys existed… er.. exist. Problem is that most folks won't recognize a dragon when they see one."
Nova sighed, "Well for now, until we can get a real plan, our best bet should be to blend in, at least for a couple of days until we can scope things out."
They all nodded in agreement.
They crested a great hill that opened up into a deep, crater-like valley that was almost completely cultivated. On the outer areas of the valley were acres of farmland that seemed incredibly well-kept. As the land grew inward, one could spy large grey stone walls that climbed high, protecting a massive city, and at the very center was a grand castle made of a mix of stone and steel fortifications.
"Ladies and gents, I present to you… the Kingdom of Luxalia!" Slug announced proudly, puffing out his chest a little too much and almost losing balance from his large backpack.
Weiss gaped, "It's… beautiful…"
"Why is only the outer wall made of metal?" Elain inquired.
Slug scratched his head, "Well, Pandora isn't exactly known for its resources. Gemstones we have plenty of, flora and fauna abundant… but we only reserve metal for weapons and important structures."
The path downward was quite scenic as they crossed the various fields. Faunus of different species were tending to their crops, paying no heed to the band of travellers. Though the band felt self-conscious, Slug assured them that this was perfectly normal for a bunch of Faunus to be travelling, even if they did look a little strange.
As they neared the massive metal walls, a pair of guards stood at the heavily barred gates, they appeared to be canine Faunus.
Slug walked forward and bowed slightly, "Good day gentlemen. I would appreciate it if you would open the gates for me and my friends here…"
One of the guards looked down, "State your name and business."
Slug puffed his chest, "We are but humble travellers from Rivenglade. I am…"
The other guard suddenly eyed him, "Wait a minute… you're not from Rivenglade… Slug?!"
Slug flinched.
"Yeah… I know you! You're that pesky junk collector! Stop trying to peddle your wares here… didn't we ban you from the market?"
Slug was desperately searching for an answer when Nova stepped forward.
"My apologies for whatever my friend here has done. He was not lying. We are indeed travelling from Rivenglade and he was simply hired as our guide. My name is Nova and these are my friends. We're… Huntsmen." It was at this time the prince put on his charismatic charm and hoped he rolled a natural twenty on the deception check.
The guard sniffed him cautiously, "All I smell on you is seaweed…"
"We were at the beach recently! Just taking a small detour to see the coast is all!" Nova amended smoothly.
"Huntsmen you say… where's your hunt?"
"We hunt…"
"Grimm! We hunt the monsters of darkness!" Ruby chimed in, roping her arm around her fiancé.
The man blinked rapidly, "Oh, you're Adventurers? Why didn't you say so? In yah go, you probably want to head to the guild then?"
Nova nodded furiously, "Ah yes, and then to the inn if possible, it's been a long journey…"
The other guards looked at each other and nodded, seemingly buying their lie.
"Alright, come on in, OPEN THE GATES!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. It was then that two other soldiers atop the wall began cranking large gears that pulled the heavy bars up.
The party strode in with Slug in tow, acting as if they were familiar with the ordeal.
Once they were safely inside the gates, they were greeted with a bustling city filled to the brim with Faunus of all different kinds. Market stalls and vendors lined the cobblestone streets and buildings as far as the eye could see.
"So…" Nova turned to Slug, "You didn't mention you were banned from the market…"
Slug nervously fiddled with his thumbs, "Well… It wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know the junk I sold was explosive? It looked harmless… like a green egg with a little bobble on the top."
Weiss paled, "You sold someone a grenade?!"
"Is that what they're called? Gree-nade… I don't get it but it sounds nice." Slug began strutting forward, "Come on! The guards think you're Adventurers so we gotta get you guys registered at the Guild."
"Uh… is that necessary?" Weiss voiced, skeptical.
Ruby thought for a moment, "Wait… that is a good idea. It'll give us a good cover while we try to figure things out."
"Alright… lead the way Slug."
As they moved through the streets, occasionally stopping to gawk at random street foods only to realize they didn't have any money. Since metal was precious to these people, they traded in the form of gold and gemstones. Gold coins were the common currency since metals like iron and copper were much rarer here. Jewels such as emeralds and sapphires were worth ten gold pieces, rubies were worth fifty and, diamonds were worth a hundred. It was a reminder that Lien didn't work here on Pandora, they needed some way to make local currency if they wanted to survive, and according to Slug, the Adventurers could take odd jobs for cash.
"Wow… so Ruby is only worth fifty gold here? That's like what… five hundred Lien or something?" Yang asked with a laugh.
Ruby grumbled and punched her sister in the arm, "Hey! At least I'm worth something!"
Sapphire moped, "I'm only worth… ten…?"
Nova pat her on the head, "Hey, I'm not worth anything so there's that…"
Slug was confused, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Don't worry about it buddy."
They rounded the street corner to find a large stone building with oak doors and the words 'Adventurer's Guild' in gold letters, plated above the door. The sounds of music and laughing could be heard from inside.
"This is the place," Slug said eagerly, "And just up there…" he pointed down the street where the city curved to the middle, "Is the palace." The large castle stood at the central point with a big white iron gate and guards around the perimeter.
"And here I thought we could just walk in there… Guild, it is then…" Weiss sighed.
Slug scratched his head, "I gotta leave you guys here. I have some business to take care of in the licensing office… you know… get my ban removed. In the meantime, you guys just head on inside and talk to the receptionist. She'll get you sorted."
"Wait… you're just gonna leave us like this?!" Weiss was baffled.
"No… it's fine. I think we can manage from here. Thanks for all the help Slug. Is there anything we can do to repay you for the help?" Nova asked, kneeling down to his level.
Slug shook his head furiously, "I dare not ask for anything in return from his majesty. I'm just doing my duty! But uh… you know… when you go talk to the King, put in a good word for your old buddy Slug, okay?"
Nova smiled and pat the man on the shoulder, "I will make sure of it."
With that, Slug scampered off leaving the party at the doors.
"You really trust that guy?" Weiss asked her cousin.
Nova just shrugged, "About sixty percent. He seemed genuine enough but… you know… as he said. Who's going to believe him if he told people the Dragon Royal Family was back?"
"I guess that's fair."
Elain folded her arms, she'd been quietly assessing everything thus far, "So... to get things straight. We're registering here because we need cover and we need money?"
Nova nodded affirmatively, "At least enough to cover our living expenses and provide plausible deniability when we inevitably go snooping around," he glanced back at Hex who was busy counting her lockpicks. "Case in point."
"Hehe... sorry..." Hex quickly stowed away her tools.
"Without further ado…" Nova opened the doors of the guild to find what looked like a bar with Faunus around wooden tables, laughing merrily and drinking what appeared to be ale. A rabbit Faunus dressed in a green uniform stood at the desk reading a book. As they entered they all took notice of a man at the back of the room in a black hood who was gazing their way. They pretended not to notice.
"Notice the dude in the back?" Sun whispered to Nova.
The prince didn't look at him and kept his eyes forward, "Not sure what his deal is, but keep watch in case..."
The party walked up to the counter, "Ahem," Nova cleared his throat garnering her attention. When she looked up he continued, "My friends and I are new in town. We'd like to register as Adventurers?"
She sighed heavily then took one look at Nova and made a small 'eep' sound before straightening her hair. Ruby saw a faint blush on her face and the very thought made her snicker. She'd learned to deal with her fiancé's good looks but she forgot what it could do to some people.
"A-Ah o-of course! U-Um… I guess I'll do a quick interview…" she said in a meek voice.
Nova smiled, "Is that necessary?" again trying his charm, as the saying goes to roll high on his persuasion.
"O-Of course… I need to conduct this as per my job…" persuasion check failed.
"Alright then… fire away."
"Can you fight?" she asked.
The team blanched at her first question and Ruby responded, "Indeed we can," she said proudly, Yang and Hex were in the back flexing their muscles. (A/N: They were basically posing like the Pillar Men from JoJo Part 2)
"I-I see…" the receptionist felt slightly intimidated, "Can you use Aura?"
Weiss made a small glyph appear and coated her hand in her white Aura, "Check."
The girl marvelled before asking, "Alright… and lastly what are your names?"
The team began introducing themselves one by one and the girl was writing them down, when it came to Nova and Luna however the two faltered.
"I'm uh… Nova Alexandrite? And this is my sister Luna Sapphire." He decided to use their middle names as their last names.
"Okay…" she then pulled out a holographic screen that projected from a dust crystal. It seemed to be some sort of computer device made using dust as the main component. Hex had the sudden urge to ask a million questions but did her best to refrain. After a few minutes, the girl was confused.
"There doesn't seem to be anything in our databases on you… are you from here?"
Ruby snapped her fingers, "Oh! We're from uh Rivergear!"
"Rivenglade," Nova mentally whispered.
"Glade, Rivenglade. Bit my tongue," Ruby made a blep noise.
The girl nodded, "Oh one of the neutral villages. That makes sense why you're not showing up here. Just give me a moment to process these and… done!" she then handed each of them dog tags made of ice dust with their names and information etched on it.
"Since you guys are new, you'll be starting off as Ice-rank Adventurers. As you do more jobs and prove your worth, you'll be set up to climb to Lightning then Gravity, and eventually, Fire rank adventurers."
Neo signed, 'Really? They're using elemental dust as a classification? Seems kinda dumb…'
Weiss giggled, "Well maybe letter rankings are just overdone?"
Once all the tags were handed out, the party decided to look at the board when the girl joined them.
"As ice-rank adventurers, you guys can only take low-ranked jobs… like cleaning stables or delivering goods…"
Nova felt slightly disrespected but realized these people don't know what they're capable of, so he offered, "Can you perhaps make an exception?" he didn't want to play the sweet talking card but Ruby gave him the okay so he added a little suave in his voice.
She instantly turned red, "Uh… well… um… I can let you go on a Monster subjugation quest… if you want… but you'd have to have a more experienced adventurer go with you… that is if anyone would want to…"
"I'll go with them," a voice said from the back, it was the same hooded man from before.
"So he finally decided to make a move," Nova mused to Ruby.
She snorted in her head, "Was wondering what was taking so long."
The receptionist blinked rapidly, "Sir Strider? Are you sure?"
The man nodded and pulled down his hood to reveal a white wolf Faunus with greying hair. He had battle scars across his cheek and a worn look.
"Yes… I am planning to take out a pack of them held up in the forest, I could use an extra hand or two. I'll split the pay half and half." He gave them a look.
Nova eyed him cautiously before taking his hand out, "Then I guess we'll be working together."
Strider nodded, "Indeed. Meet me outside the gates in thirty minutes. If you're late, I'm leaving you." With that he walked off, as he did Nova spied a red tag hanging from his belt, the man was a Fire rank adventurer.
Weiss eyed him as he left, "Well… he could have been… a bit nicer."
Nova turned to the party, "So are we all in agreement? I kinda just got swept away in the motion and didn't ask for your opinions… my apologies…"
Elain looked at them, "I'm not a fighter so I'll hang back and look for a place to stay the night… Hex do we have any remaining materials? Like gems?"
Hex fished in her bag and started rummaging, "I uh… got like one leftover Ruby from when Nova was using the materials… that's like a hundred right? Maybe enough to get us the night at an inn?"
Weiss folded her arms unsure, "I don't know… money is weird here. How about you guys go with that Strider guy while the rest of us scope out the place? Get an inn maybe?"
"I want to head out and see if there is like a doctor's office or something. I can't fight but I'm still a doctor and medical expertise is welcome anywhere, should be the same here." Elain said.
Nova nodded, "Alright… Ruby, Luna, Oscar? You guys up to exterminate some Grimm?"
"Hell yes! I've been itching to fight for a while!" Luna cracked her knuckles.
Oscar had to shake his head, "Sorry guys… my back is still killing me. I'll take a hard pass."
Luna pouted and squeezed her boyfriend's hand.
"Anyone else?"
Blake surprisingly raised her hand, "Yeah I could go for a stretch," she turned to Sun, "Don't get into trouble while I'm gone, mister."
Sun chuckled, "No promises!"
"Ugh…"
Ruby, Nova, Luna, and Blake met at the entrance gate at the appointed time to find Strider leaning against the iron wall with his arms folded and his gaze downcast. Once they arrived he glanced upward, "Actually on time? Well… there's a surprise."
Nova grinned at him, "What can I say, we aim to please."
"No need to try and please me. Let your skills do the talking, I'm not here to babysit you, so if you get in trouble that's on you. Understood?" The man's face was stoic.
Luna huffed, she disliked being underestimated, "Well let's hope you can catch up old man."
"Old man?! I'm only forty!" he growled, clearly peeved.
She snickered, "Sounds pretty old to me."
"Let's just go… fuckin kids… irritate me to no end… this is why I have none." He grumbled as he walked off beckoning them to follow.
It was around dusk when the party left, the dirt roads twisted and branched in various directions across the valley until they delved back into the jungle, taking the eastern road from the one they originally came. This one seemed to lead deeper inland, toward the mountain ridge.
Occasionally Strider would glance back to make sure they were keeping up or to see if they were exhausted from travelling on foot for a few miles… to his surprise, they were practically on his heels and walking incredibly relaxed.
"Aren't you guys a little too at ease? We could be attacked by Grimm at any time…" he pointed out.
Ruby simply stretched her arms in the air and fished in her bag for a candy bar, "Eh, we'll be fine. If something was nearby we'd have already sensed it."
"Or heard it," Luna said.
"Or seen it." Blake tapped her eyes which were beginning to glow in the dark as the night took over.
The man snorted, "Hmph, such arrogance for mere teenagers…"
"This is actually pretty easy compared to what we normally do~" Nova hummed as he leaned over and took a bite from Ruby's candy bar, causing her to pout and shoo him away from her snacks.
They eventually dug deeper into the jungle until they arrived at a large clearing, Strider knelt on the ground and began examining the dirt, "Footprints… guess we found em." He nodded toward a rocky outcropping with a cave entrance.
"Be on your guard… they could be anywhere…" Strider sniffed the air and glanced around using his Faunus senses.
The team glanced at each other and then shrugged, not bothering to unsheathe their weapons. It seemed Strider was the only one that felt a sense of danger.
As they neared the cave entrance they could hear the subtle sound of growling from inside, before they could enter, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the dark. Strider's ears pricked as the snapping of twigs alerted him to the presence of others around him. He quickly spun around to see a pack of Beowolves enclosing on them.
"Shit… an ambush? How did they know we were coming?!" He snarled, drawing a pair of longswords from his belt.
Nova had his hands behind his head, leaning back to stretch his spine.
"What are you doing?! Get in battle formation!" Strider issued orders.
Luna just yawned sleepily and straightened her hair while Blake was cleaning her nails. Ruby was stuffing the candy wrapper in her satchel.
"ARGH! YOU KIDS WILL GET US ALL KILLED!" he yelled furiously, as he did the Beowolf in the cave leaped out at him forcing him to defend its claws with his swords. Its hulking size and bone armor suggested it was an Alpha, while the others around them were the members of its pack.
The Beowolves around them began sprinting toward them while the team simply stood there, relaxed and unbothered.
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DEFEND YOURSELVES!" he screamed while desperately holding back the alpha.
Nova groaned, "Geez old man, you're really loud aren't you?"
"Seriously, I think with your yelling, every Grimm in a five-mile radius heard you," Luna said cleaning her ear with her little finger. A Beowolf was right behind her, practically breathing down her neck.
"KID LOOK OUT!" Strider alerted in alarm, thinking she was going to die.
Luna didn't even bother to look behind her as her hand turned into a dragon claw, shot out faster than Strider could blink, and grabbed the Beowolf by the throat, "Have you heard about personal space?" she asked while strangling the creature.
All it could do was whimper in pain as she stabbed her razor-sharp claws into its throat and tore it in half.
Strider was bewildered and amazed at her reflexes when the Alpha bore down on him, forcing him to roll to the side, the old man was quite nimble, dodging its slashes repeatedly and striking back with precision against its armoured hide. It was an impressive feat... but that was by normal standards.
"Honestly… this isn't even a warmup," Blake snapped her fingers, and tendrils of shadow erupted from the ground, grasping hold of the Beowolf near to her and tearing it apart, limb from limb.
"W-What did you just…" Strider gawked as he leaned low to the ground away from the Alpha, squaring it off.
Nova saw him struggling and groaned, "Love, can I leave these three to you?"
Ruby pouted, "Aw… I wanted to kill the Alpha…"
Nova tapped his eyes then pointed to the sky, "Nah we got incoming, it's all yours." As he said that a shadow crossed the moonlight as a pair of blackened wings covered the sky. A Giant Nevermore had found them.
"Oh fuck me… A Nevermore?! Here?!" Strider complained, "An Alpha was enough of a problem!" normal Grimm he could handle but Alphas required his full attention.
As he was cursing his luck, a trio of Ursa Major stormed out of the tree line, roaring at the top of their lungs. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Ruby smiled eagerly as she swung her scythe once, cleaving the three Beowolves in half, "Leave the bird to me!"
Strider pushed forward against the Alpha, sweeping his legs under it with immense strength before toppling it over and pouncing on its chest with his swords, killing the creature.
Nova whistled, "Oh you had it? Why didn't you do that before? I guess you're not a Fire rank Adventurer for nothing."
Strider grumbled irritably, "Are you just going to stand around and do nothing?!" he pointed at the three Ursai that was charging toward them.
Nova stretched and cracked his knuckles, "Honestly guys…" he stood in front of the three Grimm, "If you're going to come at me… at least bring more guys. This isn't a fair fight."
The dragon placed his right hand on the hilt of Helios, flipped the trigger, and in one move, shot toward the three and appeared behind them, sheathing his blade. When the hilt clicked back into the scabbard the three Ursai had a mere moment to turn around before their bodies were separated into quarters.
Strider could only open his mouth in awe, "H-How did… what?!"
The Nevermore above let out a loud screech as it stormed shot bladed feathers at the team on the ground. Feathers the size of a fully grown adult male and sharp enough to pierce steel rained down on them. Strider bolted for cover behind the trees while the team just stood there.
Blake shielded herself with shadows, Luna's skin turned fully draconic as she deflected the feathers with her bare hands. Nova simply walked out of the path of one aimed right at him with a casual side step while looking back at the bird.
"Hey tweetie, you almost cut my jacket!" he shook his fist at the bird.
The bird cawed loudly but didn't see that Ruby was already using Petal Burst to close the gap until it was too late. Strider could only watch in sheer bewilderment as Ruby, dozens of feet in the air, was already on top of the Nevermore with her scythe around its throat.
"Holy shit!" Strider gawked as he moved next to Nova, "Who is she?!"
The prince smiled proudly, "That's my fiancé."
"Man this brings me back~" she mused aloud, remembering initiation as she angled the bird in mid-air, treating it like a horse.
"Honey, stop torturing the thing and come back down!" Nova yelled to her from the ground.
Ruby pouted as her fun was being cut short, she squeezed the trigger the scythe blade shot up, cleaving the creature's head from its shoulders as its body crash-landed to the floor with Ruby riding atop it like a surfboard.
Once done she hopped off and landed next to Nova.
"Had fun~?" Nova asked as he grinned at her.
She chortled, "Man I wish Weiss was here, she'd have gotten flashbacks to our first day."
Strider asked shakily, "What in the world…? Who are you, people?!"
"We…" Nova gestured to them, "Are team ASHNRWBY. Well some of us aren't here but you get the idea. We're here to kill the Grimm Queen."
"With that level of strength… what are you even doing as Ice-rank adventurers?! You guys are stronger than most of the people in the kingdom! Well… aside from maybe the King's daughter." He then spied Luna and Nova's scales as they retracted into their skin.
"Wait…" he looked at their eyes, "It can't be…"
Nova blinked, "Um… you okay?"
"A-Are you guys… dragons?!" he asked incredulously.
Nova sighed, "Looks like we got found out," he stuck his hand out for a shake, "Nova Flareheart, at your service… and this is my little sister Luna."
The girl in question curtsied.
"Dragons… Flarehearts, in the flesh! I thought you guys were all dead!" he exclaimed, then realized he was just standing there, and this whole time he'd been undermining them. Instantly he knelt to the floor and bowed, "F-Forgive me your majesties. I was rude to you and…"
Luna groaned, "Ease up there buddy. It's fine, breaking in the new blood, I get it. Now can we get back to the town?"
Strider glanced around the clearing and looked at the Grimm corpses, which came as a surprise to the team since usually, Grimm dissipated into black smoke, these guys remained as corpses on the floor and even oozed black blood.
"We can't carry them back to the guild will have to send a team to verify the rewards…"
Blake's brows furrowed, "How come they're not like… disappearing into smoke?"
Strider was confused, "They don't usually? I mean… they are beasts after all. It would be strange if they disappeared…"
It was the team's turn to be confused. Nova had a million questions running through his head, theories as to why this was the case. His first theory was that these Grimm were naturally born, not created from the pools of destruction. Only time would be able to tell if they ever got answers. For now, the only question on the prince's mind was where his missing friends were.
-Salem's Castle-
Far beyond the reaches of the Skyrange Kingdom, beyond the mountain range and vast plains of desolate land where the earth was poisoned in inky destruction. Salem's castle stood amidst the blackened skies like an insurmountable fortress. Grimm of new shapes and sizes roamed the dead fields, bearing humanoid appearances, like Berengels, except their masks were shaped like horned mutants, each sporting six eyes.
The new Grimm wasn't simply standing around awaiting orders… no… as Salem stood atop the balcony overlooking her army as they moved about, tearing out the earth and constructing weapons and armour.
The Queen smiled proudly as she watched her creations at work.
"These new types are quite impressive, my queen." It was Emerald Sustrai who appeared behind the queen, and contrary to her previous appearance, her eyes had become pitch black with red irises. Cracks etched across her face and her clothes had been swapped to a black leather jacket over a white top and black jeans.
"They don't look like that big of a deal," Mercury joined them on the side, he too was similar to Emerald. Unlike Summer and Cinder, their skin hadn't turned pale. It seemed they were only half-Grimm after their transformations. In order to become full Grimm they would have had to already be dead lest they lose their minds on top of it.
Salem smiled and leaned against the balcony, "My children, the time is upon us. The Titans awakened on the shores… do you know what that means?"
"They're here…" Emerald confirmed.
"Indeed… and my spies are reporting that it's only half of them… including our dear Prince and the last remaining Silver-Eyed Warrior…"
Mercury cracked his knuckles, "Just say the word, my queen… I will personally tear them apart…"
Salem chuckled, "Even in your current state… facing them would be suicide. No… the stage hasn't been set yet. In the meantime…" she snapped her fingers and Tyrian Callows came scampering out of the Shadows.
"Your majesty?" he bowed, his tail flickering behind him.
"I want you to head to Luxalia, give our friends a little… welcoming gift…"
Tyrian cackled madly, "AS YOU WISH YOUR HIGHNESS!"
As he was about to sprint off, a white burst of petals appeared in Salem's vision and her eyes narrowed.
"Summer. What is it?" she asked with impassivity.
"I've received a report that strange activity is occurring at the Shrine of Creation… if you allow me to investigate, " Summer asked, her face was stoic but inwardly she was cringing from her own thoughts.
"And why should I let you go?"
"I… am the most capable and I know the land. It is also the Shrine of Creation, anyone besides you and I would be unable to approach it." Summer tried to make up an excuse.
Salem smirked a knowing grin, "Fine…" she waved her hand dismissively, "Ensure you only investigate and nothing else. Return immediately once you've acquired the information…"
Once she was gone, Emerald spoke up, "My Queen… I suspect her words…"
Salem smirked, "I know… but I dare her to try anything… she will soon see that the collar I've placed around her this time is not to be taken lightly…" she then felt something in her mind click and she smiled broadly, "You two."
"Yes, your highness?" They answered simultaneously.
"Take a Nevermore to Vacuo, it seems that while we might not be able to strike at the prince directly... Shade Academy on the other hand is almost ripe for the picking."
"At once, my queen."
-Eight Months ago- (Warning for RWBY V9: Mild Spoilers Ahead)
Darkness, an endless void of spiraling space flowed past Onyx as he plummeted for what seemed like an eternity. He cursed those children, specifically that accursed princess whose power matched his own. The Kuroseki around his neck had reacted so violently to her that he was unable to control its power, forcing both him and Cinder into the abyss below the crossroads.
A light appeared from the bottom of the endless void, finally an end to his torment, but the moment his falling body crashed through the light he was met with unconsciousness.
Onyx awoke to the sound of crashing waves and the feeling of coarse sand rubbing against his bare skin.
"Argh… my head…" he groaned as he rose to his feet. Around him was a peculiar-looking beach with giant starfish plastered in the sand.
Shrugging the sand off of him he tried to gauge his surroundings. A large dense jungle of peculiar flora, birds he'd never seen before flew high in the sky, and most notably a gigantic tree rose in the horizon.
"Where in the fucking hell am I?" he muttered, checking his person. Everything was on him, including his trusty Draco Belthor. The Kuroseki vibrated softly.
He looked around the beach, "I was sure that bitch landed with me… where…?" *BOOM* an explosion shot off in the forest as hundreds of tiny mice swarmed out of the woods.
"IT'S THE DEVIL! THE DEVIL HAS APPEARED TO DESTROY US!" one of the mice screamed.
"THE END TIMES! THE GREAT DESTROYER HAS COME TO STEAL OUR SOULS!"
"WHAT IS A STAFF?!"
"WHAT'S AN OATMEAL?!"
"HAS ANYONE SEEN MY PURSE?! I CAN'T HEAR WITHOUT MY PURSE!"
"What the fuck?!" Onyx yelled in surprise as the creatures dashed past him while speaking. "Talking mice?!"
Soon enough the source of the commotion appeared as Cinder Fall wielding two Wyvern heads for hands stormed out of the tree line, firing blasts at the tiny creatures.
"GET BACK HERE AND ANSWER ME!" she screamed.
As they all corralled toward Onyx he spread his Miasma and the intense wave of sickening dark purple energy flowed around him like a mist, causing several mice to drop dead. The others cowered in fear, frozen in their tracks.
Seeing them frozen in fear, Cinder shot her hands out like rubber bands and grabbed hold of a tiny mouse with light brown fur, it squeaked in terror as she brought it closer. (A/N: It's Little)
"Fall. What the hell is going on? Where are we?" Onyx glowered.
Cinder retracted the wyvern heads and groaned, "Oh gods… you're here too? Fuck and here I thought I would have some peace of mind for once."
"Stop being a bitch and answer me." He snarled.
Cinder shrugged, "No clue. I woke up here an hour ago with this rat trying to nibble my fingers. The relic of creation was here… but it got stolen by… and you're not going to believe me but… a raccoon riding a purple wagon."
"A Raccoon…. Did you hit your head too hard?" he asked, genuinely confused.
She snarled, "There are talking rats, what's hard to believe?"
"Right…" he amended.
"Now then," she cleared her throat and then glared at the rat, elongating her claws so it narrowly scratched its throat, "WHERE ARE WE AND WHERE DID THAT RACOON TAKE THE RELIC?!"
"EEEP!" The mouse squeaked, "Please don't hurt me!"
"Then tell us what we want to know…"
"I told you before! This place is here! And that Racoon took it to sell in the Red King's Kingdom!" the mouse squeaked again in fear.
Onyx folded his arms, "Now that we know where we're going, kill it, and let's be on our way. Wait… how the fuck do we even get out of here?"
The rat just shivered at the large man, "As I said! Here is here!"
Cinder just sighed, "It doesn't matter where 'here' is. If we get the staff then we can just do what those kids did and portal out of here. Mouse, where is the Kingdom?"
The mouse seemed to ease up as an idea formed in its mind, "I-I can show you!'
"Just tell us, we don't need your help," Onyx let out a threatening growl.
"Y-You won't be able to! Not without my help!" the mouse squeaked.
"How dare you try to…" Onyx was getting ready to squish its head when Cinder stopped him.
She shook her head, "No… it's right. I tried moving anywhere earlier and I just kept getting sent back to where I started. I don't know how this place works but I think we need a local to guide us."
Onyx simmered down and folded his arms, "So… we need to rely on a rat to be our guide? This is pathetic."
"We have no other choice, try it yourself." She said dryly.
Onyx huffed and stormed off, "I will!" as he wandered into the forest and disappeared in the brush only to reappear a second later, coming out of the spot he went in.
"What the…?" he stormed back in.
The same thing happened.
"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" he screamed before marching back toward Cinder and the mouse.
"Fine, we'll do it your way," he glared at her, then shot a sickening smile at the mouse, "You've bought yourself some time. Lead the way creature."
(End Spoilers)
-Far off the Crash Site, Pandora East Coast Peninsula-
Nitro awoke with a terrible headache, his eyesight blurry as he barely registered the feeling of soft waves crashing against his body. Everything hurt... god everything hurt so much. He couldn't move his head, his body battered and bruised, he could feel several ribs broken and there was no feeling in his legs.
"...ey! ... hey!" someone was calling out to him. Was it a person? A Man? He couldn't tell.
That's when he felt something soft patting him on the cheek. Sunlight blared through his eyes as amidst his blurred vision, he saw a figure hovering over him. They were... blue? Or was it aqua? He couldn't tell.
"... you... right?" the person kept asking him.
All he could do was groan in pain, sounds, light... it all hurts.
"...ome on, I got you, stay with me man!" the person tried to speak but his ears were still ringing. He vaguely felt his body being moved before he passed out again.
Thunder, crashing of waves, the roar of the titans, pain.
*GASP* Nitro startled awake in a cold sweat, his chest heaving rapidly as he gasped for air. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't on the ship, judging by the old wooden floors and bedding that seemed to be made of a fabric he hadn't seen before, he wasn't anywhere near where he was supposed to be. Quickly he searched his body and found he was in his underwear, his entire body wrapped in bandages and with his rapid movements, a sharp pain jabbed into his torso.
"OW SHIT!" he cursed as he inspected his rib cage. There was a purple discoloration below the bandages and judging by the freshness of the cloth, it meant they were changed recently. Slowly he began recalling the events that lead him here. After the ship took off at light speed, he was standing in the control room, the doorway was wide open with the actual door torn off its hinges. A massive wave crashed against the boat and he lost his balance. That's when one of the petrified titans crashed into the water, the massive shockwave shot the boat into the air and even further forward. The sheer force threw him out of the room and into the mercy of the storm.
Only Gauge, who was tethered to the mast at the time, was coherent enough to see him go flying. The poor boy tried desperately to reach for him but as Gauge held onto the rope and flung himself for Nitro, the rope snapped and both of them ended up careening into the sea.
The sound of the doorknob jiggling alerted him as he immediately took up a fighting stance, as much as he could muster given his bedridden state.
As the door opened, Nitro was prepared for the worst, but what awaited him, standing in the doorway, was a young man possibly around his age... carrying a bowl of water and a washcloth. Upon seeing him the man jumped slightly almost dropping the items. This gave Nitro a good look at the man, he seemed around twenty... perhaps less, his body was entirely aquamarine coloured and covered in what seemed to be fish-like skin hidden behind a cream tunic and shorts. He was humanoid enough but he bore a pair of mermaid-like fins for ears, like Mira. What took Nitro however was the man's ocean-blue hair and sea-green eyes. Eyes that looked so gentle and genuinely concerned.
"Y-You're awake!" the man exclaimed, quickly picking up the items, "I-I didn't think you'd be up for another day at least!"
Nitro didn't drop his guard, "Who are you? Where am I?"
The man realized Nitro must be on edge after the crash so he slowly placed down the bowl and cloth, "Hey, easy... I'm not here to hurt you. If I wanted to do that then I would've taken you out while you were unconscious."
Nitro eased a little but still kept his awareness, "Sorry... I should've guessed. You patched me up right?"
"Yeah," the man scratched the back of his head, "Um... your stuff is fine, I put your clothes to dry and whatnot..."
"Dry...? How long have I been out?"
"About a few hours, honestly you heal quickly. With injuries like yours, I would've expected you to be out for at least a week, even with Aura." The man said impressed.
Nitro faltered, "Uh... thanks? Now back to my previous questions..."
The man snapped his fingers, "Oh right, my bad. I'm Sami with an 'I', Sami Tidefin. You're in the Oceanis Kingdom."
"I'm Nitro, Nitro Zephyr... and where is this Oceanis Kingdom?" Nitro asked cautiously.
"Uh... East Pandora? Well, it's more like the South East coast but you know... I'm not the best with directions..." Sami explained sheepishly, "You're not from around here are you? Nor are you a Faunus." the last one wasn't a question.
Nitro hesitated, "Uh... well... I'm from off-continent? Across the seas?"
Sami's eyes widened, "Seriously?! That's... wow. I always thought there was a world out there but we've never been able to leave on account of the titans..."
Nitro blinked, "You're taking that rather... well?"
"Yeah haha," he laughed awkwardly, "I've always wanted to see what's out there, beyond the reef, face the unknown," he trailed off, "So if you're not a Faunus, then what are you?"
"I'm human," Nitro replied flatly.
"Human? Woah, I've heard stories about you guys. Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"About you guys eating Faunus and stuff..."
"Oh hell no. I wouldn't dare eat a person!" Nitro looked offended, "Is that what you guys think of us?!"
Sami shrugged, "Well, that's what we've heard anyway. What brings you to our shores, mister Human named Nitro Zephyr?"
Nitro chuckled at his formalities and dropped his guard finally, relaxing on the bed, "Just Nitro is fine, or you can call me Speedy if you want, though no one has called me that in years. As for why I'm here... do you know where my friends are? We came on a boat and it crashed but I think I got thrown far off..."
Sami tapped his chin, "Uh... no sorry. When I found you it was just you, washed up on our beach with several broken bones and a concussion."
Nitro flinched, "Thanks again for patching me up by the way..."
"No problem friend," Sami chirped, with a bright beaming smile that made Nitro's heart quicken. Sami continued, "If your friends were in the vicinity of the titans and made a straight line... then they'd probably be on the other side of the continent, near the kingdom of Luxalia."
"How far is that from here?"
"Hard to say, on foot? A few weeks? If you're taking a carriage then maybe a week."
Nitro immediately tried to jump out of bed but recoiled in pain quickly landing back on the bedding, "Fuck... I need to get to them! They're probably worried sick!"
Sami rushed over and helped him back into bed, "Easy there tiger, you're still pretty banged up. You won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I'll just leave you to get some rest and in the morning we can talk more..." he worriedly checked Nitro's bandages to ensure they were all fixed properly.
Nitro blushed as the man's hands roamed over his torso, "Um... not to be rude but... why did you help me? Why are you being so nice?"
Sami smiled warmly, "Do I need a reason to help someone who's hurt?"
Nitro blinked rapidly before chuckling, "I guess not. Thanks... again..." he felt his eyelids grow heavy.
"It's really no big deal," Sami said before closing the door behind him and wondering why his own heart was beating so furiously for a stranger.
-Pandora West Coast, Several Miles from the Crash Site-
Gauge woke up with a start, the cold night air pricking at his soaked skin. He was washed onto a rocky outcropping somewhere... he didn't know. All that met his vision was a wide open beach and a mountain behind it, the sea crashed against him calmly. His night vision wasn't very good, but it seemed that the night was clear and bright enough to see. He vaguely remembered trying to save Nitro as the two of them flew off the ship but the rope snapped sending him into the dark waters.
"Where the hell am I...?" Gauge pondered aloud as he tried to find his bearings. His body was in decent condition, it seemed the accident had been easy on him, with no broken bones, and no missing limbs. He had to regroup with the others but there was no way of communicating with the magnetic storm interfering with wireless transmissions. He was essentially on his own, with no map and no supplies.
"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way..." he grumbled, staggering into the forest.
Unbeknownst to him, lurking in the shadows, something was watching him.
-Vacuo City Council, Present Day-
It was an unusually stormy evening in Vacuo, the first rain they'd seen in months. The dark clouds covered the setting sun giving rise to a much earlier darkness as whatever little light remained filtered through the stained glass windows of the council office. Not a light was on as Galleon sat in the twisted shadows, a mess of papers in front of him and the sound of thundering rain as his only company.
It had been exactly one month since the prince and his team left, one month of biding his time, and he was growing frustrated.
Galleon was not an unreasonable man, but something was eating at his brain that made his intrusive thoughts all the louder.
"Galleon, I can hear you thinking from here. Do be a dear and calm down," a silky, evil voice echoed from the shadows making Galleon jump in surprise before he realized who was there.
"Stein, I was wondering when you would show up," Galleon mused as he quietly tried to simmer his anger down.
Stein snickered behind his hands as he emerged from the shadows into the now pale moonlight. One month ago, Stein had witnessed the departure of Team ASHNRWBY and was lucky enough to find Galleon, a man who held distaste for the young prince. All the mad doctor had to do was stoke the fire a little, whisper things in the man's ear and he was his pawn within seconds. Hate was a powerful thing.
"Now now," Stein chided, "don't sound like you aren't glad to see me," the madman stretched his arms giving Galleon a full view of his body. Most of it was replaced by blackened Grimm skin, the arms, legs and half of his face was all turned into a monster, much less for the man inside.
"I would be happier if you came sooner. I'm not sure how much longer I can take... that infernal academy... IT NEEDS TO BURN!" Galleon slammed his fist onto the table in frustration.
Stein merely spared him a sideways glance, "I was merely... recruiting a lost sheep, an old comrade..." he giggled.
"...Who?"
The mad doctor snapped his fingers and the doors to the office opened to reveal none other than one Arthur Watts, looking as prim as ever. He'd disappeared after the fall of Atlas, only to go into hiding and remerge when he was needed by the queen.
"Her highness sends her regards," Watts said dryly as he sat down in a chair.
Galleon blinked rapidly. "Arthur Watts? I thought you were dead!"
Arthur fiddled with his mustache, "Yes, well it's not the first time I've had to... play dead."
"Salem says that she's received reports that team ASHNRWBY has made landfall on Pandora. Our time of waiting will soon be over!" Stein gleefully stood on a chair and spun around wildly.
Galleon's eyes lit up in anticipation, "Really?! Is it finally time?!"
Stein abruptly stopped, "Oh no... just a little longer. We need to prepare a few things... see even if the strongest ones have left, there are still quite a few people still there who pose a threat..."
"Adam Taurus, Belle Wings, those children of team JNPR, Qrow Branwen, the wolf Faunus tribe and let's not forget the Summer Maiden." Arthur Watts began listing off.
Galleon snarled angrily, "What's the plan then? Espionage?"
Stein launched onto the table and landed on his belly, propping up his chin with his elbows, "Oh I have a much sweeter plan. See... the Academy might be a fortress, so to seige a fortress we need an army!"
"Then... where do we get one?" Galleon was hesitant.
"It's all around us!" Stein did a little pirouette while spreading his arms.
Galleon's brow furrowed as he tried to understand, then after a moment he raised his brows in alarm, "The people?! Are we going to turn them against the Academy?!"
"BINGO! FIRST PRIZE TO THE BROODING MAN IN BLACK!" Stein gave him finger guns.
"H-How?!"
Stein reached into his lab coat and brought out a small vial of black liquid that seemed to writhe and squirm, "In my study of Grimm Anatomy and reports on their creation from our dearest Queen... I've made a significant breakthrough when I combined it with my genetic tests of the artificial Aegis gene~!"
Arthur sighed heavily, "What he's saying is that we've managed to create a way to turn people into artificial Grimm, even if it's only sixty percent effective, that's still sixty percent of the population."
Galleon felt a cold chill run down his spine, "Y-You're going to turn the innocent people into Grimm?!"
Arthur snorted, "Well only the ones without active Aura. They'll typically be civilians but... well, it's not the worst thing I've ever done," he rolled his eyes.
"T-That's... monstrous! I wanted revenge on them... but to involve innocent people, isn't that a bit..." Galleon voiced his reservations.
Stein took that moment to scramble across the desk and smash his face into Galleon so they were practically eye to eye... literally, "My dear man, don't you think it's a little too late to back out now? You're already committed, and if you try to leave... then all I need to do is..." with a single motion, Stein stabbed a needle into Galleon's neck and the man fell to the ground in pain. Galleon writhed and squirmed on the floor as his clothes began to tear, his skin turning pitch black and he felt his mind quickly beginning to fade away.
"P-Please... h-help me!" Galleon cried as he yelped in pain, his body morphing into a grotesque monstrous shape before his very eyes.
Watts groaned, "Just stop torturing him already. We need him alive remember?"
Stein pouted, "Aw, you're no fun..." he then dropped onto the floor, hovering over the shivering Galleon, and jabbed another needle into his neck, and just as quickly as the transformation started, Galleon's body returned to normal.
"What did you do to me?!" Galleon asked exasperated as he heaved for air, grasping hold of his office chair for dear life.
"Oh, just a little prototype version of the concoction~" Stein flicked the tip of the needle, "Your body will slowly morph into a wild, unintelligent beast with only the craving of bloodlust if you don't get an injection from me ever so often."
Galleon felt cold sweat run down his neck, "And I won't get the cure if I don't carry out your orders... right?"
Stein snickered again, "Correcto Mundo, so be a good little dear and... dump all of this!" he opened his lab coat and hundreds of vials dropped out, "Into the local water supply. You can do that right?"
The councilman gulped, and nodded affirmatively, "T-The people... what happens afterward? Is there a cure?"
Stein groaned, "Ugh, yes there is a cure, but I mean... it won't really matter in the end because when Salem wins, there won't be anyone left!"
Galleon once again swallowed hard, "P-Please... if we win... can you release the cure and free the people? A-As mercy..."
"Why should I?"
Watts saw the fear in the man's eyes and just waved his hand, "Just do it, Stein, it won't matter in the end so think of this as his last request."
After tapping his chin furiously Stein shrugged, "Alright fine, so we have a deal?"
Galleon shivered in his seat, "I don't think I have much of a choice..."
"Good boy," Stein pat him on the head and opened the door, "I look forward to the coming weeks... AHAHHAHAHAHA!" he cackled madly down the hallway. Watts followed behind him, stopping to spare a glance at the pathetic mess of a man before closing the door behind him.
That's a wrap! Nitro potentially finally finding a boyfriend? Maybe. Do Cinder and Onyx continue to bully Little? Quite possibly. Also no full dragon Ruby... yet, that's a special event.
I also couldn't help myself with the Dungeons and Dragons references, I absolutely had to do it.
But as you can see, the stage is being set, hell is coming from all sides and the path to salvation will be paved in blood.