Chapter 7
Well I lied
Jeremiah POV
Tension filled the air as my partner and I sat through our ride on the odd metal carriage. Mirrah had expressed concern. Confused and possibly even frightened at the short mission statement we whad received. She thought of multiple rational explanations and then denied every single one.
"It just doesn't make sense. If this was anyone else I'd assume it was a trick or the ramblings of someone not all there, but Ozpin is a huge deal. Maybe this is all a huge setup? Like some illusion?" As she nervously raced through situations where this mission could be false, I worried about an even more terrifyin situation, one where everything he said was true. The huge metal bird came to a rest in the clearing of a forest green bed of trees. Tossing leaves around as we landed. I sighed, stuffing my thoughts to the back of my head and prepared myself for the mission.
"So are you gonna tell me what YOU're thinking about?" The muffled voice of Mirrah came from my side. I raised an eyebrow as I looked back at her .
"The entire time I've been talking you've had this look on your face. Either you're as worried as I am, or you know more about this cave than you're letting on." I nodded in agreement.
"I've seen something I suppose could be compared to this before, Structures that would change, twist and move over time. Areas that could one day be familiar are totally foreign." I began to sweat but continued.
"But this can't be connected, it's impossible." I reasoned. It would be of no use to cause unnecessary stress, and to think more of the possibilities of what we're walking in to, might only worsen my readiness for those possibilities. We soon grew silent as we made our way through the dense forest. The air felt thick, like the sap of the trees that surrounded us on all sides.
After some time, we began to close in on the cave, my nerves began to gnaw at me heavier than even before.. My lack of insight into what brought me to this world was starting to way heavy on my mind.
Before I could get to lost in thought Mirrah began to speak,
"Do you smell that?" She asked and I shifted my focus.
Mirrah POV
My words simply hung for a second as Jeremiah's eyes widened in horror.
"By the gods…" He muttered to himeslf, before taking off in the direction of the odd scent, which just so happened to be directly into the mouth of the cave we were so worried about. Over the couple weeks I'd fought with him I'd not seen him feel genuine fear so much as once. Sure he worried same as the rest of us, but even in times where he could very well lose his life, he was always able to still his nerves when it was necessary. But for a scent, a small pungent scent, is instill this terror? I sniffed again as I followed behind my partner. The scent was unfamiliar to me, though it held a resemblance to fresh blood, something I was all too familiar with. However something here was different. It almost smelled, more potent.
As we appeared at the mouth of the cave, I recoiled at just how odd it looked. The inside was made of rock but almost seemed fleshy, writhing and constricting as I hesitated to take a step. However Jeremiah didn't stop, bolting straight into the cave. I clenched my fist and resolved to follow, against my better judgement.
As I travelled into the belly of the beast, I began to hear something. There was a faint splashing sound, like someone trying to drink from a shallow stream. An ungodly groan followed, cracked and strained. My heart froze but I traveled on, if whatever made that sound was hostile, Jeremiah would need help. But new questions now occupied my mind. Did, whatever that was, know we were here? Still, I traveled further on until I reached Jeremiah. Ahead of us the cave opened up into an expansive room. The rocks squirmed under my feet as I came to a stop. What was even worse was the smell, before it was just a slightly pungent odor, now it was almost nauseating. Jeremiah finally turned his head to me, signaling me to stay quiet as the two of us peered into the room.
It took everything in me not to gag at the sight. In the room were two people. One was obviously long since dead, having been torn nearly in half and propped up against the wall, as if it were alive and sitting. Blood slowly streamed from his body, running off towards the middle of the room. What was odd, is that there were seemingly two separate types of blood. One light and thin, the other dark and viscous. That wasn't even the worst of it. The other, I struggle to even call a person. It seemed vaguely human, but more animalistic. The skin was stretched, and it's limbs were long and gangly. It stood as tall as at least 3 of me, but was hunched over, the pool. It'a back was towards us at it sat by the pool of dark blood. It plunged it's spindly fingers into the pool, attempting to cup enough within it's stretched hands to drink. Jeremiah almost appeared frozen as he stared at the beast, and then looked down towards the monster's basin.
Breaking his own request for me, he spoke in a hushed tone.
"It's almost drank all of that blood, and when it does it's going to look for another food source" A million questions ran through my mind as the thing continued to drink. Has Jeremiah seen this before?
"Now as soon as it gets a whiff of me, it's going to get excited. Drinking from my vials is one thing, straight from the source is another." With everything he said I only grew more and more confused.
"Wait, YOURS?" I said, as he scowled.
"Look over towards the wall." I toar my eyes away from the gruesome scene to the wall of the cave. It was covered in carvings that I had not seen before. They were enrapturing, but as I stared my head began to throb and I had to look away. When I looked back the wall was empty again. There, sat a simply wooden chest. Something that would've been common in one of the other kingdoms. The chest's lid was lazily swung open, and there was a large pile of shattered glass and twisted metal.
"We need to take out the beast, but more importantly we cannot under any circumstances let this blood spread." Before he could explain anymore the beast's head suddenly jerked towards us. The skin on it's head was thin and stretched over an ill fitting skull. The eyes were shrunken and beady, but the mouth was crooked and wide. It's teeth were short and receeded not able to cover the tongue, long and writhing as if it were a snake.
"You…" was all it said in an excited tone. It's voice was cracked and raspy. The monster let out a gutteral shriek and pounced towards us. Jeremiah was quick and dashed towards the beast, drawing the jagged cleaver from his back and swinging it in the direction of the almost-human.
The blade connected with the monster's arm, leaving it barely hanging by twisted viscera as Jeremiah wrenched his weapon away. I was preparing to join the fight as the creature let out a piercing shriek. My thoughts were fractured as I was forced to cover my ears for any sense of relief. However Jeremiah seemed almost completely unaffected as he prepared to swing once again.
Jeremiah backed away, pulling the cleaver to his chest just in time to block a swing from the monster. But before he had time to attack back, the monster took the oppurtunity and ducked in, sinking its teeth deep into his shoulder. Jeremiah groaned in pain but raised his free arm and jammed it directly into the beasts eye.
The creature dropped Jeremiah to the ground and swung both of it's massive arms down on to my partner's side, shattering the bones in his arm
Jeremiah raised his bloody hand, going for the cleaver once again, but the beast grinned and grabbed his weapon. With strength befitting a monster 3 times its size, the creature snapped Jeremiah's weapon, the blade and hilt falling to the ground and cracking into the rock beneath us. The beast reached it's long broken arm towards Jeremiah and lifted him into the air. I jumped up, hoping I could draw the beast's attention but it still paid me no mind. It's grin widened as it raised Jeremiah's neck to it's mouth and ferociously tore into him with it's teeth. Jeremiah groaned in pain as the creature began to laugh sadistically.
"I'm so hungry…" I steadied my nerves as I plunged my blade into the side of the monster.
Jeremiah POV
My body painfully dropped to the floor as I struggled to move. The thing had done a lot of damage and my weapon was all but useless for now. As the beast wailed and threw it's arms around, I mustered my very little strength to reach into my bag. As the weeks went by, my blood vial storage had gotten dangerously low. It seemed keeping up with Hutsmen would require just as much blood as going against a victim of the scourge. Little did I know, I would be doing both at once.
'One left.' I thought to myself as I held the small glass vial in my hand. This was bad. I jammed the needle into my leg, feeling the blood of Gods flow through my veins. But something was wrong. Just one vial would not be enough to put me back in fighting shape. It would be enough to stop the bleeding, but with as hurt as I was that wouldn't be much.
I let my gaze rest on the wooden chest as air tightened my pain filled lungs. A nostalgic feeling washed over me as I thought about the time I spent in the dream. The world nothing but black now, as I thought about being in the void that was the dream. An unmoving and unchanging world of peace and horror. Both beautiful and terrifying.
New found strength filled my body as I thought about what might happen to this world, and suddenly an idea. An idea that might do more harm than good, but an idea none the less.
I dragged my weary body towards the chest, something so inconspicuous, but something that held secrets that could drive this world to chaos. As the gangly creature refocused it's beady eyes on my companion, I forced every muscle beyond its breaking point just to keep from collapsing.
Reaching the simple seemign wooden box, I hastily search with my fractured arm, digging through the eldritch pile of wood and steel. Finally, my hand brushes a small envelope of paper that was bound to be my savior. I looked down at the paper in my hand, tearing it open to reveal a congealed ebony mass. Steeling my nerves, I prepared my body for the transformation I would make it endure before choking down the blood pellet in my grasp.
Mirrah POV
'I have to end this and I have to end this soon' I thought to myrself as the Monster's massive claws slammed down on my armor. I raised my sword to swing with as much strength as I can muster. Sinking the blade deep into the already broken arm of what was once a human being. Another scream is forced through the beast's jagged teeth as I push my blade ever deeper.
Finally the monsters gaunt arm slammed to the ground with a thud. Before I could even think to react, the remaining arm collided with my stomach shattering a rib. No matter how much aura I use, every hit I take from this monster feels like a freight train.
Now barely able to keep myself from collapsing, I look up to see the monster readying to bring it's hammer of an arm down on my head. I try and force my sword in front in a futile attempt to block but a sudden piercing pain in my lung knocks me to my knees.
However before the creature can finish it's attack, I see a torrent of blood flow as a silver curved sword is slammed through the monsters stomach. For the first time in the entire fight I truly felt I could understand what thoughts were going through the beasts head a both the beast and myself stared towards my companion, now having tore the sword from the body of our enemy and slammed it backwards onto what could only be described as a giant bone fashioned into a foldable handle.
Where my partner's piercing blue eyes once sat, now his eyes were a murky yellow, and the pupils had all but disappeared. While not 2 minutes earlier I had watched Jermemiah almost be killed in a brief spat with this beast, he now stood carrying a jagged scythe. The cautious look that usually adorned his face gone in favor of a smile.
Jeremiah shot forward with undescribable speed, swinging the massive scythe like it weighed less than a short sword. Jeremiah easily cleaved through the remaining arm. Jumping backward, Jeremiah gave no time for the monster to make a final move. Bringing the Scythe above his head Jermemiah struck, burying the blade into the brain of the beast, finally killing it.
And as soon as it appeared, the sudden strength that very well may have saved our lives disappeared, and Jeremiah collapsed into a fit of coughing and heavy breathing.
"Mirrah…" Jeremiah called out with a ragged voice.
"I'd appreciate if you would contact Ozpin. Allegedly he will be sending a group of 4 to collect us. I would be happy to do it myself, however I think my arm may be broken." He finished and I couldn't help but chuckle, even with how painful it was. The last thing I remember was using my scroll to call the frequency we had been provided, and then everything went black.
Neutral POV:
"Sir are you sure about this?" The doubting voice of Glynda Goodwitch rang out to Ozpin's left as he absent mindedly swirled his coffee.
"Those two have been through more than enough because of us now, I feel it would be wrong to not treat them with the best care we have available. Besides, I have questions for them that I feel would be best to ask in person." Glynda sighed at this response,
"There's always something with you." None the less however Glynda made sure the proper arrangements would be made in the school's medical wing to accomplish the new temporary guests.
"Sir… about the students." Glynda said, almost hesitantly. It had been a sensitive subject for Ozpin since the disappearances, let no one tell you Ozpin does not care about his students, but knowing the outcome had been worse than even they imagined surely weighed heavy on his mind.
"I'm afraid there's not much that can be said until we have more answers, as hard as that is to say." Ozpin said calmly, but the shake in his voice betrayed him. Ozpin was genuinely puzzled, not something that happened often.
"The council will surely have questions eventually, but for now we need to hold our cards close to our chest so to speak." Ozpin made his way towards the elevator out of his tower.
"Sir… What should we do with the chest we recovered?"
"Keep it ready. After all if I were to guess, I would wager it belongs to Mr. Paleblood." With that, Ozpin took his leave and Glynda was left to ponder the odd and unfortunate situation they found themselves caught in.
To be entirely honest with you, I'm not sure how I feel about how this turned out. Different parts of this have been written over different time stretching across the entirety of last year, leaving it kind of a jumbled mess, but life goes on and I'd prefer to get on with this story as well. I hope you all enjoyed.