Here we are at Chapter 143. I gotta admit, that little plot twist at the end of the last episode; even I didn't see that coming. Anyway, let's see how the gang fair trying to get to the tree with the help of their new furry friend. I do not own RWBY. They belong to roosterteeth. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 143. Enjoy.
Chapter 143: Curiouser and Curiouser
In the red forest, Khazhak's group search for the curious cat, hoping that it might be their best shot at reaching the tree just like in the story.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" Ruby calls out.
"Anyone got any catnip or fish we use for bait?" Khazhak looks around.
"Please, no cat jokes, Khazhak. It's bad enough I'm as small as a mouse," Blake groans.
"What's so wrong about being a mouse?" Little asks, but then looks to the right and squeaks. "Eek! A cat's hind quarters," it points to the red grass, showing the cat's tail within.
"Um... Excuse me," Ruby calls out.
"You're excused," the cat suddenly pops up behind them, making Ruby jump, and Little hide again.
They watch as the cat's front half walks over on two legs and connects back to the back half like a puzzle piece.
"This place just gets weirder and weirder," Khazhak shakes his head. "Curious cat, correct? Is that how we address you?"
"Oh, I don't dress. Other people do dress, but not me. But, if you are asking what I am, I suppose I am a cat most curious," the cat replies.
"Of course you are. Heh-heh. Look, my friends and I really need to get to that giant tree. Unfortunately, nothing we've done so far has gotten us any closer to it," Ruby says.
"It looks to me like it's even farther now!" Weiss notes.
"Probably because we're about as tall as a #2 pencil," Lloyd deadpans.
Weiss glances away, "...It could be both,"
"The tree. Tree, tree, tree. Oh yes, that is indeed a most impossible task. You do not go to the tree. The tree goes to you, unless you're me... you see," the cat explains in a roundabout way.
"Not even a little bit," Yang states flatly.
The cat smirks, "Welp, that's your problem. It's all a matter of perspective,"
"That doesn't make any sense. Ugh, okay, well, couldn't you take us there? Since you've been there before," Ruby asks.
"So, why would I want to go back? Ah, yes, I'm glad we've reached an understanding. No sense in seeing a sight seen," the cat says, before its attention falls onto a passing butterfly and pounces.
"Look, could you please show us the way to the tree? You did it before when you helped Alyx," Porphyrius asks.
The cat pops his head up, "Alyx! Alyx, Alyx? How do you know her? Are you friends of hers? Old arch enemies? No wait, I think I got it... Okay, no I don't. Please tell me!" the cat flies right up to Ruby's face.
"We don't know her personally. Only by reputation, basically," Khazhak answers.
"Alyx wrote a book about her adventures here in the Ever After," Weiss says.
The cat flies around Ruby, "A book?! Is it a popular novel?"
"It's basically a favorite for kids everywhere back where we're from. Though, I never really had the chance to read it," Lloyd says.
"Ooh, interesting. Please, tell me more. What did she write about? How was I portrayed? And *sniff* do I smell a mouse?" the cat looks over at Little, who hides behind Yang.
"Hey, watch it furball. That's my emergency food," Bahamut says, but that only frightens Little more.
"Um, could you give us a minute?" Blake tries to diffuse the conversation.
The cat sighs, "Oh, so much for that idea. Well, by all means, do hurry. I have so many, many questions," the cat flies off into the brush in search of more bugs.
"Are we sure they're not the constantly annoying cat?" Weiss sarcastically wonders.
"Hah, nice roast there," Yang gives her a thumbs up.
"Back on topic, the cat was an ally to Alyx in the book right. It was also stated in the book that the curious cat loved new information," Porphyrius says.
"So, if we can fill his curiosity while guiding him towards the tree, we both get what we want," Khazhak sees where this is going.
"Okay, so we can just tell him about stuff from Remnant, and us. That should keep his attention while we head for the tree. That shouldn't be too hard. We know all sorts of stuff and-," Ruby begins.
"The cat's gone," Yang deadpans.
Ruby freaks out and frantically searches around for the cat. In the red brush, the cat pounces on another butterfly, gaining their attention.
"There it is," Khazhak points ahead and they catch up to the feline.
"Wait, didn't you say you had questions for us?! We'd be happy to answer them now!" Ruby says, and sighs when the cat returns.
"I sense a 'but' approaching," the cat notes before his hand quarters return to his main body.
"No buts. We do still need to get to the tree, but there will be time for that later. During which time, how about we tell you about our world and what goes on in it. Ruby, your scroll," Khazhak nods his head.
"Oh, right," Ruby pulls out her scroll. "Check this out. Ever seen a scroll before?"
The cat is instantly excited about it, "Luminous rectangle. Oh, what does this button do?" the cat plays with it and accidentally takes a selfie of itself, surprising it. "How is it creating tiny, flat versions of me? Is that what I look like when I smile?"
"Nice work guys," Weiss says.
The group then continues down the dirt path with the curious cat. Along the way, they tell it about Remnant, the kingdoms, the academies, and those who live there. They also tell it about their journey and their mission to stop Salem before she destroys the world. The secrets they learned, the powers they've seen, and the battles they've fought.
"So, your reptilian friend there used to be much bigger and basically lived inside you, but now he's out with a physical body, albeit much smaller," the cat goes over Bahamut's story.
"Yes, as embarrassing as it is to admit. My sister... my sister and I were two of the three last remaining members of our kind. Now, only Nidhogg and I remain," Bahamut notes sadly, thinking of his late sister, Tiamat.
"Whoa, talk about family feud. And this Dragon Spirit power of yours is what granted you a new arm after you lost the old one. Oh, how exciting," the cat floats around Khazhak's left arm.
"That wasn't my opinion of it when I lost my old arm, then my prosthetic one," Khazhak groans.
"Oh my, you've certainly needed a hand every now and then, huh. Dragons bonding to descendants even after thousands of years and their physical bodies long turned to dust. Just as interesting as putting a city in the sky, am I right? You've all certainly seen some exciting sights. Oh, what was my original question again?" the cat remembers.
Yang groans, "Blake... It's your turn," the endless questions are making them exhausted.
"You asked about the origins of Remnant," Blake says, just as tired.
"Oh, right, yes. Those two brothers. Talk about your god complex, huh. Well, your story has certainly been an interesting one. So many ups and down, characters to keep track of. But, I admit some of them seem rather uninspired. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Eyepatch," the cat pops up behind Porphyrius.
"It's Porphyrius. Not eyepatch, got it," Porphyrius rolls his eye.
The cat laughs, "Hahaha, apologies. Well, to your credit, you all certainly know more about Remnant and the secrets it keeps than Alyx did. That girl could barely see past her own nose,"
"What do you mean?" Ruby asks.
"Oh, you know, just too focused on minor things that really weren't all that important. It was almost funny," the cat says.
"Yeah, but she learned her lesson in the end, right," Blake recounts the story.
"I'd certainly say so. Ah, here we are. The edge of the Garden's acre," the cat motions to a dark forest ahead of them, with several glowing plants seen from within.
Beyond that is the tree. They look up to see colorful leaves falling upon them as they flow with a gentle breeze.
"It's like each 'acre' as they're called are different puzzle pieces. Most strange," Bahamut notes.
"It makes no sense to me at all. What's the deal with all this?" Yang asks.
"Each acre is made specifically for its inhabitants and their roles. Is it not the same back on Remnant?" the cat asks.
"Not exactly. The kingdoms are different in terms of setting and culture, but it's more complicated than that," Khazhak says.
"Hmmm, interesting. It never even occurred to me to ask that before," the cat says.
"I have a more immediate question: how long before we're finally back to normal size?" Weiss asks, getting impatient.
"Not long at all. The garden is just down this path. And is sure to have all the ingredients we need for a Grogurt parfait. Just don't go talking to anyone without me. If you're not careful..." the cat says.
"We'll end up beheaded or worse, right," Lloyd deadpans.
"Pretty much. Certainly an interesting way for first meetings, wouldn't you say. Oh, you Remnant folk sure like to cause trouble," the cat notes as they officially enter the garden acre.
"Well, once we're back to normal, that won't be a problem," Weiss replies.
"Personally, I don't see the issue. I have a number of friends who are only six inches tall. I think you should be more worried about that Salem character you spoke about. Uh, how many more relics does she need to end the world? How are you even supposed to stop her now that Atlas is gone?" the cat asks.
His questions cause Ruby to stop walking and show an expression of worry, hesitation, and sadness.
Khazhak stops and turns back to her, "Ruby, what's wrong?"
"I... uh..." Ruby trails off as she closes her eyes.
"Maybe we should focus on what's in front of us right now. We'll worry about home once we're back there," Blake tries to change priorities.
"The cat's gone again!" Yang yells.
"What?! How?! Oh, I wasn't paying attention. Where did they go now?"
"Oh, they went after a bug," Little pops up.
"And you didn't say anything?" Yang glares at it.
"It was an interesting bug," Little fearfully replies before popping back down.
Weiss sighs, "Of all the characters in the book, why did it have to be the cat?! Why couldn't it be the Lively Carpenter or the Rusted Knight? One was sweet, one was handsome, and neither of them had the attention span of a gold fish!" she yells.
Little pops up behind her, "Hey, you think we could find a fish in one of these ponds?" and all Weiss can do is facepalm.
"Enough, let's just try to find-," Khazhak stops when they start hearing some strange humming in the distance. "What's that?"
"It sounds like... humming?" Blake wonders.
They look to the side and head deeper into the garden, following the humming.
"Is this... the garden?" Ruby looks at the plants around them.
"Possibly, but what's with the weird humming? It's creeping me out," Porphyrius notes.
They spot a pile of leaves shaking, and then three eyes open up from within to stare back at them as the humming stops.
"What are you?" the figure within the leaves asks.
Khazhak facepalms, "That question is getting really annoying,"
The figure comes out from the leaves, revealing themselves to be a human-sized caterpillar with form arms, a pair of small wings on the back, and an insect-like head. The figure is holding a rake in one pair of arms and a large sac in the other. His sudden appearance freaks out most of the group.
"What question?" the creature asks.
"What are YOU?!" Yang yells.
"Oh, that question. Can't you tell? I'm an herbalist. THE Herbalist," the herbalist introduces itself. "At least... until I'm not anymore," it notes while raking some leftover leaves.
"Yeah, because that answers all of our questions easy," Lloyd sarcastically mutters, only for Porphyrius to elbow him in the stomach.
"Um, sorry to bother you, but... My friends and I could use some help if you would. We're trying to reach that giant tree, but nothing's worked so far, and now my friends are really tiny," they slowly approach the herbalist.
"Help getting... to the tree. Ah yes, everyone needs help these days. EVERYONE," the herbalist notes. "Come with me," and it starts sliding across the floor.
The group follow it to one large, glowing mushroom when suddenly a hole opens up on one side, revealing its living quarters within. The group hesitate to step inside until the herbalist returns.
"Well, are you coming in, or aren't you?" the herbalist asks, annoyed.
"You can help make my friends normal size again, right?" Khazhak asks.
The herbalist just groans before heading deeper inside. Hesitantly, they enter his abode, only for the way in to close up, They look around, finding other sacs, tools, viles, and other items set up around the place.
"I must admit, you all seem a bit... hesitant. What did you say you were again?" the herbalist asks while mixing ingredients in one bowl.
"We're huntsmen and huntresses," Ruby says.
"And what exactly do huntsmen and huntresses do?" the herbalist asks.
"Fight monsters... I'm sorry, but I don't understand why this is important," Ruby retorts.
The herbalist crawls around them, "I don't understand why YOU don't understand! I am an herbalist. I make potions and remedies to aid those on their journies. It is what I am," he takes out a scale and balances a weight with some leaves. "So, do you know what huntsmen and huntresses do, or are you just guessing?"
"Huntsmen and huntresses are heroes. We fight monster, but more importantly, we protect innocent people who can't protect themselves," Blake answers.
"Thank you. At least someone is paying attention. Now then, would you say you are good huntsmen and huntresses then?" the herbalist asks while placing some lives in brown paper.
Ruby hesitates to answer, so Khazhak steps up, "I'd say we are. We've helped many people before, and we're still alive. The ones that aren't that good usually don't last long,"
"I see. You may not see it, but this is important. Your just making it more complicated. We all have our titles, our roles to play, our purposes to perform. However, if you are to become what you need to become, you really need to have a better understanding of what you are now!" the herbalist clarifies.
"Okay, perhaps we should continue this converstion after we figure out how to open the door," Weiss says.
The herbalist facepalms, "This is how a king ends up as a prince. Come with me. My work never ends," he crawls into another room.
"A king into a prince?" Khazhak mutters before following him, with the others behind him.
They enter a room with more plants and mushrooms, a fireplace going, and the herbalist smoking what look like a hooka pipe.
"Come, come. Take a seat." the herbalist says.
"Um, perhaps we should take our leave. Right, Ruby? Khazhak?" Porphyrius says.
"This won't take long," the herbalist says. The group turn to leave, but the opening closes up in their face, spooking them a bit. "Just answer the questions." they turn as he holds some eaves in his hands and smokes a bit more. "What. Are You?" he asks and drops the leaves into the fire, causing a lot of smoke to build up in the room. Ruby coughs and drops the others as she falls, with Khazhak behind her. "Are you sure you know? You have to be sure of what you are. And of what you're going to become."
Lloyd stands up and looks around, "Brother! Porphyrius!" Lloyd calls out, but then coughs up smoke.
The smoke flows around until it comes up and changes into the image of Lloyd when he first enrolled at Beacon.
"Why do you continue to put yourself through so much pain? Those bastards took your humanity away. They turned you into a weapon to fight Grimm, and that's exactly what you're doing. Why do what they wanted you to do when you could choose another path?" the old Lloyd asks.
"What? Why would I..." Lloyd doesn't understand.
Meanwhile, Porhyrius encounters his past self, "Why try to be a half-Faunus, after everything it took from you? Our parents wanted to be a bridge between two peoples that hate each other, and look what happened to them. You could choose you know. You could either be a human or a Faunus. Think of it: no more feeling ostracized from both sides. You could finally have some peace. It would be so much easier," the past Porphyrius says.
"Choose? How is that an easy choice?" Porphyrius asks.
Meanwhile, Bahamut looks up at his past self, at his normal size, "Why bother fighting? Our kind could not defeat the Grimm, and they have only grown stronger since then. Meanwhile, these humans and Faunus. They fight more with each other than they do their true enemy. Who's to say they wouldn't be better off just being destroyed. You could then rest too. You've watched as so many of our siblings died, one-by-one, with Tiamat being the newest. And even Nidhogg hates us. What's the point in fighting for those who are not even our own kind?" the past Bahamut asks.
"Our... kind..." Bahamut looks away.
"Don't you want to rest? Or, maybe even find a new way to preserve our race?" the past Bahamut asks.
Bahmut looks right up at him, "...No. Our kind had their time, and it has come and gone. I fight, not to preserve our species, but humanity. It's true they are divided, but were we so different? They're a young species. They have much to learn. But, I have seen goodness in them. I will not allow them to share the same fate as my people. The deserve a chance to live, just as we once did. I am the Dragon of Destruction, Bahamut, and I will not rest until Remnant is finally at peace,"
Meanwhile, "...No. I may have been made into a wepaon, but I haven't lost my humanity. I don't fight because I'm a weapon. I fight so others won't have to. Protecting them is what makes me human. To choose another path, to turn away from all of that; that is how I would lose my humanity," Lloyd stands resolute.
"It may be easier to choose one or the other, but just because one choice is easier than others doesn't mean it's the right choice to make. I am human, and I am Faunus. My parents represent what our two species could do together. To create life, love, and joy. I belong to both sides, hatred be damned. To choose one over the other wouldn't be easy, it would be stupid," Porphyrius readies his weapon.
Meanwhile, Khazhak stands before his past self, "So, do you still think you're the Stormg of Judgment? One who protects the innocent and punishes the guilty? You say you aren't a hero, but you try really hard to be one. Just like Father and Grandfather. But, what's the point. All that's gotten you is one painful memory after another. You win small battles, but what about the war? Have you made progress there? And what about you sister, Voshkie'ahk? She nearly died because you listened to her. Because you tried to be a hero and a good big brother. And the only reason she lived is because Tiamat died. Why fight when there is nothing but death around you?" Khazhak's past self asks.
"I'm not dead yet," Khazhak retorts.
"No, but you nearly died once. And what about Ruby?" his past self's question makes Khazhak gasp. "You swore an oath that you would protect her and keep her from suffering, and yet, what happened? She lost Penny, twice. She found out an immortal witch killed her mother. She couldn't stop Salem at Atlas. Her sister losing an arm, her friends dying or getting hurt. Did you protect her from all of that?" his questions make Khazhak look away. "Don't you think you've failed enough?"
Khazhak sighs, "It's true. I have failed. Time and time again. To uphold the vow I made. To protect Ruby... But, that is precisely why I will not stop," he looks right into the eyes of his past self. "If I were to just quit, I could never look her in the eye again. I believe in Ruby, in everyone. Just because I failed, doesn't mean I'm finished. If I've failed, then I simply need to keep moving forward, to fail again... until I finally succeed. And that's because I am Khazhak Rairyu. And I am a huntsman,"
"I am a huntsman!" Porphyrius declares.
"I am a huntsman!" Lloyd declares.
"So, are you a huntress?" Ruby's past self asks while she sits on the ground, looking defeated. "Like the ones in the fairytales you read when you were little?"
"I... I don't know," Ruby shakes her head.
"They always saved the day in the end, didn't they. They always saved the innocent, stopped the bad guys, and beat the monsters. Always knew what to do and how to do it. Always won in the end," her past self says.
"But, I... life isn't like stories and books," Ruby sadly admits.
"That's right. That's why we're here to make it better. Isn't that what you said once? It all depends on you. Your sister needs you. Your friends need you. Khazhak needs you. The whole world needs you to keep fighting, forever and ever. Against an invincible monster that took your mother and destroyed Khazhak's family. Mom was the best, and Khazhak came from a long family of great warriors. And yet, they all fell in the end, and you and Khazhak suffered because of it. That just doesn't seem fair, does it. Khazhak has been through so much, but because you keep trying to stop Salem, he's forced to follow and forced to suffer even more pain. He nearly lost his sister again, and to his own older brother just like years ago. Isn't that sad?" her past self asks.
"But... what am I supposed to do?" Ruby asks.
"You can do whatever you want. Go wherever you want, and be whoever you want. You could be Ruby Rose, or you could be someone else. So, what are you going to be?" her past self asks.
Ruby glances away, unsure of how to answer. Just then, the Curious Cat jumps through the illusion of past Ruby and stands in front of her.
"Get away from her!" the cat yells as the smoke dissipates and everyone comes to.
The herbalist unleashes a coughing fit as the smoke clears, "*Cough* *cough* Oh my... that's a bit much," he recollects himself.
The Cat's ears drop, "Oh, Herb, look at yourself. You're done. You're supposed to help others find their way. But, how can you do that when you've lost your own? Please, let me help. And have a little bit of my heart. It'll make you feel better," the cat walks up and places a paw on the herbalist.
Green and purple lights from the paw ride up the herbalist until they reach a symbol on his chest and suddenly his personality changes.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I guess I got a little carried away there. Perhaps I've been working too hard. Huntsmen and huntresses, was it. How peculiar," the herbalist notes before a hole in the ground suddenly appears underneath him and he falls down below and then it closes up.
The group look on in shock and horror at the sight until Little finally wakes up and comes out.
"What's going on? Oh, I found the cat!" Little says, apparently having slept through everything.
And that's the chapter. Ruby, Khazhak, and the others travel with the Curious Cat until they meet the Herbalist. The Herbalist puts them through the ringer, Ruby most of all. But, their journey is far from over. What other crazy beings will they encounter on their way to the tree? Until then, please Read and Review.