Here we are at Chapter 147. First, a thank you to Vist97 for your last review. I really appreciate what you said in regards to my last chapter. I know some people may not like what Khazhak did at the end of that chapter, but you need to remember that he is very protective of Ruby. Also, he badmouthed himself just like he did the others, but he also said that he sees them as better than him when it comes to helping Ruby, because he believes that they can do what he believes he can't. Again, thank you Vist97. As for what happened between Jaune and Khazhak, i have something planned for that in the next chapter. Pleas, have patience everyone. Anyway, Ruby ran from the others, but things will only get more difficult for everyone. I do not own RWBY. They belong to roosterteeth. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 147. Enjoy.
Chapter 147: Tea-time Trouble
Running through the forest, Ruby keeps going as far away from her friends as she can. She ends up stopping under a tree after running out of breath. She sits down, knees to her face, and simply feels sorry for herself.
"Ruby? Ruby?" Little pops out to talk to her and she slowly raises her head. "Are you okay? Why did you shout at the others like that? You should all stick together,"
Ruby looks around, "Where... am I?"
"Don't worry. I will guide us back. But, we really should head back to the others. You all need to stay together if you're gonna make it back home," Little says.
But, that doesn't help Ruby's mood, "Why are you still with me?"
"Huh? Because I promised I'd help you," Little replies, feeling worried.
"I promised I'd help Atlas as a huntress. That I'd fight for them and keep everyone safe. That I'd stop Salem and save the day. That I'd be there for me friends when they needed help," Ruby says bitterly.
"Ruby, it's not too late. We can go back and-," Little says.
"No!" Ruby stands up, forcing Little off her knee. "You don't get it. You have no idea what I've done. What I've failed to do! I'm not a huntress!" Ruby slams her fist against the tree. "I could never be a huntress. If you stay with me, you'll only end up dead... like so many others. Please... just go," Ruby begs.
Little holds their tail, "But I-,"
"Just leave me alone!" Ruby yells, scaring Little away, but immediately feeling bad about it.
Little stops, only to watch as Ruby walks away, scared for their friend.
…
Meanwhile, Khazhak continues his search for Ruby, "Ruby?! Ruby?!" he calls out, but gets no answer. "Damn it. Come on, where are you, little rose,"
Just then, Bahamut flies down and lands on his shoulder, "I looked around from above, but I couldn't spot her. This forest is dense enough to block the view, and she had a head start on us,"
Khazhak clenches his fists, "Damn it! We have to keep searching. She can't be out here all by herself. Not with Neo hunting her. Not in her current condition. Let's keep searching," Khazhak starts running again.
However, a sudden blast of dark energy hits the ground in front of him, making him jump back. He looks up to see none other than Kamir'ahk standing in his way.
"Ah, I finally found you, little brother. I've been searching everywhere. You don't know how worried I was when you disappeared on me," Kamir'ahk shows mock concern.
Khazhak growls, "I don't have time to play with you right now, Kamir'ahk. Out of my way!"
"Oh, but I was hoping we could catch up, little brother. Especially since I wanted to show you my new toy," Kamir'ahk draws his new sword, Shinigami. "What do you think? Has a certain flair to it, don't ya think?" Kamir'ahk hits a switch, and the chainsaw blade comes online.
"How'd he get a new sword like that here?" Bahamut wonders.
"The Blacksmith. They were fulfilling their purpose," Khazhak figures it out.
"Besides, what could be more important than some quality brother-bonding time?" Kamir'ahk smirks.
"A lot of things. One of them being this!" Khazhak makes a quick draw slash with his balde, sending out a Lightning Slash technique at his older brother.
Kamir'ahk swings downward, slicing the technique in two, "You'll have to do better than that, little brother,"
Khazhak growls and charges at Kamir'ahk, who meets the charge in kind. The two warriors clash with their blades, sparks flying from the chainsaw blade meeting Khazhak's. The two trade sword strikes with one another, the momentum switching sides in seconds. Meanwhile, Bahamut and Nidhogg perch themselves on a few branches of a nearby tree.
"Nidhoog, it's payback time for what you did to our sister, Tiamat," Bahamut jumps at Nidhogg and the two fall to the ground below. They roll around, scratching and biting at each other until Nidhogg kicks Bahamut off. "Never in a million years will I ever forgive you, Nidhogg."
"You're blaming me for that? You fool, Bahamut. Tiamat sacrificed herself to save that damn human girl," Nidhogg argues.
"BECAUSE OF YOU TWO!" Bahamut yells and charges at him again.
The two mini dragons duke it out while their partners fight in the field of the forest. Khazhak swins his sword a few times, sending out a shower of lightning bolts down on Kamir'ahk. Kamir'ahk stabs his blade into the ground, sending out a field of dark energy to cancel out the storm. He jumps up into the air, sword reeled back. Khazhak jumps out of the way before Kamir'ahk smashes his sword down on him, leaving cracks in the ground. Khazhak comes in, throwing a charged left fist, but Kamir'ahk catches it in his right claws and throws Khazhak aside. Khazhak lands on the side of a tree and pushes off it to go right back at Kamir'ahk.
…
Back with Ruby, Ruby walks through the forest, only for the darkness to consume the world around her until a spotlight shines down on her from nowhere. She walks through the forest, the spotlight following her move, until she comes across a large manor, light up with lights all around. Heading inside, she finds the inside encased in shadows as well. At least, until a light pops up on a portrait hanging on a wall. Walking up to the portrait, she sees it showing a family with a man, a woman, and a little girl. Another portrait appears, showing the back of Neo as she walks towards Cinder Fall standing next to a throne. The third portrait shows the legs of the man and woman from the first picture, with Neo and Roman Torchwick standing above them.
"What... What is this?" Ruby asks.
Suddenly, the Roman Torchwick in the photo looks back at her, "Hello, Red," it moves and greets her, making her freak out as she draws her scythe. "It's been a long time, hasn't it. How's the hero business going? Doing well, cuz to me it looks like things haven't been going according to plan, now have they," Roman walks through the picture.
"Where's Neo?" Ruby demands.
Roman scoffs, "Ugh, kids these days. No manners at all. And after everyone came out just to see you!"
The lights come on in the manor and Ruby looks back. To her shock and horror, she sees James Ironwood, Professor Lionheart, Clover from the Ace Ops, Pyrrha Nikos, and Penny Polendina, sitting at a table. All friends or friends who became enemies. And the one thing they all had in common: they're all dead. They all wave and give their greetings to her, but she doesn't feel happy to see them at all.
"How is this... How is she doing this?" Ruby mutters, making the group laugh. "Stop this! This isn't real!" Ruby yells.
"Isn't real, she says!" Roman pops up next to her, making her jump back. "This from the girl following a talking, mystical cat in a fairytale story told to kids," he walks up and jumps onto the table while Ruby turns her weapon into its gun mode. "The line between fantasy and reality sure has gotten blurry, hasn't it little red," Roman twirls his cane around. You know, once Neo figured out where she was, she started looking at things differently. Always like the idea of leaving the sad world known as reality and going somewhere else. Getting to do whatever you want," Roman sits down at the head of the table and picks up a teacup. "I gave her that chance back on Remnant... But we know how that turned out," he says as the others glare at Ruby.
"Is that what this is all about? You still blame ME for what happened to Torchwick so long ago?!" Ruby yells, making Roman growl. "If you think I'm going to apologize for something that I didn't even do, then you can forget it!"
As they talk, Little comes in from a hole in the ceiling.
"They say that everyone tries to be the hero of their little stories. But, I knew what I was. And it was no hero. Just like your little boyfriend. He always seemed to know what he is, even if he's tried to be something he's not. More importantly, I think deep down, you know what you really are too," Roman walks across the table, crushing a tea cup under his shoe while pulling out one of the tree's leaves.
"The leaves of the tree?" Ruby looks confused.
"Oh, so you know what this is. That makes things easier. How about starting over from scratch?" Roman suggests.
"Is that what you really want? If you want to kill me so bad, then come and get me yourself and stop hiding behind these stupid illusions of yours," Ruby retorts, but Roman only laughs.
"Hahaha, we don't want to kill you, Red. We want to BREAK you. Tear you down, piece by piece, until there's nothing left," Roman says as he drops the leaf into a tea cup at his feet.
Ruby narrows her eyes until she hears some noise behind her and turns around, seeing Neo lunging at her with her umbrella. Ruby fires her weapon, but Neo blocks the bullets with her umbrella as she flips over Ruby, and then Roman fires his cane at her back. Ruby rolls across the floor before looking up to see Roman catch Neo as she poses and the others clap.
"I'm going to enjoy watching you break," they all say with the exception of Neo who simply smiles.
…
Back with Khazhak, he continues his duel with Kamir'ahk. Khazhak runs around the field, evading dark plumes of energy set off by his brother. Kamir'ahk lunges at him with his blade, but Khazhak deflects the strike and then makes his own. Kamir'ahk kicks the sword off target and then throws a right fist at Khazhak's stomach, making him slide back across the ground. Khahak charges up his semblance.
"Explosive Thunder Dragon Wave!" Khazhak slices downward, sending out a surge of lightning.
Kamir'ahk meets the attack in kind, "Decayed Death Dragon Slash!"
The two attackes clash and explode, but the brothers strike through the smoke with their dragon fists. They growl as they try to push the other back, only to make a strike with their blades clashing. Off to the side, Nidhogg chomps down on Bahamut's tail and swings him around into a tree. As he goes to stomp down on his head, Bahamut leans out of the way and clamps down on his leg. Nidhogg roars in pain, allowing Bahamut to push him away before getting back up.
"Get out of my way, Kamir'ahk!" Khazhak yells.
"Why don't you understand, little brother. You're just like me. We don't help people, we kill them! Have you ever truly helped someone? Has your little 'code of honor' helped you save Penny, Tiamat, or your little red rose? What has it gotten you?" Kamir'ahk retorts, making Khazhak hesitate. "I'm saying that maybe there's a better way to handle things. Why pretend to be something you're not when it's only going to cause you pain time and time again? We're just two wolves trying to survive in a world of sheep. Stop trying to pretend to be something you're not. We're not heroes. We never were. We're monsters, plain and simpe,"
"I'm nothing like you!" Khazhak yells as his lightning charges up. "Bahamut!"
Kamir'ahk smirks, "Nidhogg!"
Their dragon partners glow, Bahamut a bright blue and Kamir'ahk a reddish black. They fly up and into the bodies of their partners, activating the Dragon Spirit within them. Both roar as dragon scales cover parts of their faces and their bodies. However, unlike before, Khazhak isn't in the translucent armor that he had on from last time.
"Where's the armor?" Khazhak asks.
"I told you, you have not yet mastered that power. You've grown stronger, but it's still too risky right now. This is the best I can do. Besides, we must find Ruby before it's too late," Bahamut explains.
"Fine. It'll have to do," Khazhak replies.
The two charge at each other, slamming their fists once more.
…
"Ruby? Ruby! Khazhak!" Weiss calls out as the others search for the pair.
However, Yang stops walking and sighs, "Damn it? Why did Ruby just run off like that?!"
"It's obvious that she was upset about everything that's been going on," Blake says.
"No, that wasn't upset. That was much worse. Ugh, why couldn't she have just said something?" Yang asks.
"Maybe she felt like she couldn't," Weiss says. "Ruby has always been the one to pick us up when things got tough. To light the way for us. And Khazhak has always been there to give us that push we need to keep going, even when we wanted to give up in the end. We say things like 'we believe in you', 'we can count on you'. I know we mean well, but..." Weiss explains, making the others melancholy.
"It's not like we were asking them to be perfect," Yang retorts.
"It doesn't matter," Lloyd catches their attention. "We never said it, but we might as well have. We have always looked to them for answers, for hope. When we were down, they'd pick us back up. But... who picks them up when they're down? Brother wanted to help Ruby, but he didn't know how. He's never been good at that sort of thing. That's troubled him for so long. That's why he was waiting for all of you. You're Ruby's teammates. Her family. If he couldn't do it, he at least knew that you could... But you didn't. None of us did. Ruby's always had to hide her pain away, just like Brother. If they gave up, then what would we think?"
"We never said they had to be perfect, but that doesn't mean they won't try to be. This is all our fault. Now's the time for us to pick them up when they need it the most. We have to find them... and soon," Porphyrius says, but then they hear shots going off in the distance.
…
In Neo's house, Ruby flies around as Neo's illusions fire their weapons at her.
"What makes you think you know what's best for Atlas?" Ironwood says while firing his pistols.
"I was the best and brightest that Beacon had to offer," Pyrrha says while firing her rifle. Ruby gets hit by one blast and latches onto a chandelier. "I sacrificed myself so my friends could live," Pyrrha throws her spear, hitting the chain holding up the chandelier.
It falls, crashing down on Ruby on the floor and taking out the rest of Ruby's aura. Ruby goes for her weapon, only for Penny's blade to block her path and she looks back to her.
"It was like the Vytal Festival all over again. I died again, for the last time," Penny walks up to her. "Do you have any idea what that's like? To do nothing but fail over and over again. To everyone. Even the one you care most about. To be nothing but a failure?" she asks, making Ruby cry.
Suddenly, Roman wraps his cane around Ruby's neck, "How about we settle this over some tea, hmm?"
Ruby pulls away and tries to go for her weapon, but Pyrrha gets in the way with her spear. She strikes Ruby in the face, followed by twirling her spear around into her stomach.
"How many more must die for YOU?!" Pyrrha kicks Ruby into a wall.
"I'm trying to save everyone!" Ruby cries.
Ironwood punches Ruby in the chest before slamming her against the wall, "And yet, even with all your best intentions, things didn't get better. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you're making things worse, not better?" he asks before throwing her to the ground.
"It's not my fault!" Ruby argues, trying to reach for Crescent Rose until Ozpin gets in the way.
"How many more! Have to die! Before you accept! That you can never save anyone!" Ozpin yells while hitting her with his cane repeatedly.
Ruby grabs her weapon and turns it into its scythe form, "NO!" she yells while swinging it around, only to freeze when it's not Ozpin behind her... but Khazhak.
Khazhak looks at the wound in his chest, "...Little rose," and he falls, dead.
Ruby collapses onto the floor as those around her change into her teammates, Khazhak's teammates, and Qrow and Voshkie'ahk, all looking horrified by the scene.
"Please... no more," Ruby begs.
"Will you finally accept it now before more friends die because of you? The truth that the world and everyone in it would just be better off... with you gone," Roman asks while everyone looks sadly down on her.
Ruby cries and collapses onto the floor. Neo walks around Roman, placing the teacup in front of her.
…
Lightning and dark energy surge through the forest as Khazhak and Kamir'ahk continue their duel. Khazhak swings his sword, sending out a storm of lightning bolts at Kamir'ahk. Kamir'ahk jumps, rolls, and evades them all as he closes in on his little brother. Kamir'ahk swings his sword downwards, but Khazhak meets the strike with his blade. They both attack with tbeir dragon tails, but get blocked by them. The chainsaw churns against his katana, sending sparks into his face. As Khazhak gets stunned, Kamir'ahk throws an uppercut into his chest, knocking him into the air, only for Kamir'ahk to grab Khazhak's tail and slam him into the ground and then thrown into a tree. As Khazhak gets up, Kamir'ahk jumps towards him, forcing him to roll out of the way. Kamir'ahk slices the tree off its stump and then kicks it towards Khazhak. Khazhak slices the tree in half and then rolls back and kicks his feet up as Kamir'ahk gets close, sending him crashing through another tree. Kamir'ahk rushes out of the debris. The two throw their dragon fists, meeting in a clash that sends out a shockwave across the area. They pull back, only to try and headbutt each other. Their powers surge as their eyes glow before they both get pushed back from the energy.
"I'm getting tired of your stupidity, little brother," Kamir'ahk notes.
"And I'm getting tired of your very presence!" Khazhak smashes his fist down, sending out a surge of lighning towards him.
"What must I do to make you see the truth?!" Kamir'ahk stabs his sword into the ground, creating a dome of death that cancels out the attack. "We fight and kill because it's what we were born to do. We're not protectors or saviors. Stop pretending to be something you're not!"
"Just shut up already!" Khazhak roars and runs at him.
Kamir'ahk readies his blade behind him, death pouring around it. Khazhak charges up his left fist. When they get close, Khazhak throws his fist, only for Kamir'ahk to meet the attack with his blade. A huge explosion rings out, with Khazhak flying out of the smoke and hitting the ground hard. As he loses his blade and struggles to get up, Kamir'ahk stalks towards him until he stands over him.
"Just accept the truth and you'll feel much better, little brother. You're just like me. We're monsters, plain and simple," Kamir'ahk says.
…
Back with Ruby, Neo smirks above her, waiting for her to drink the tea. However, a blue blast of energy sends Neo flying out of the house. Ruby slowly looks around to find the curious cat before her.
"It's alright, Ruby. It's over now," the cat says.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so tired. I don't want to be me anymore," Ruby rolls onto her back and cries.
The cat consols her and hops on top of her, "It's going to be alright, Ruby. Huntress... I can be you instead. Man, I have been working hard on breaking you down forever," and then the cat stabs their claws into her chest, releasing lights across Ruby's body.
"AHH! What. Are. You. Doing?!" Ruby asks through the pain.
"My purpose, of course. When someone's heart in the Ever After is broken, I give them a little bit of mine. The truth is I've been keeping a few secrets from you, Ruby. I'm different from the other Afterans here. I'm CURSED with curiosity. I need to know everything. But, more than anything, I need to know why my makers left me here *hiss*. Only to go and make all of-Ow!" the cat bolts up and looks back to see Little biting their tail.
"You're not a friend! Friends don't-," Little then gets knocked away by the cat's tail, much to Ruby's dismay.
Just then, Neo runs back into the manor, but the cat blasts her away again, only to see her shatter like glass because of her semblance. The cat looks around, but the real Neo knocks him away from behind with her umbrella. As this happens, Little runs up and pulls on Ruby's hand.
"Ruby, get up, please! We need to go!" Little cries, only to get stomped on by Neo's shoe.
That was the last straw for Ruby, who's heartbroken.
…
"Well, will you finally accept it now, little brother?" Kamir'ahk asks, standing over Khazhak. Khazhak remains on his knees, but he doesn't reply. "Hmm, too broken now, are you? Well, life's full of disappointment," he raises his sword and swngs it down, only for Khazhak to catch his arm in his hand. "What?!" Kamir'ahk throws a dragon punch, but Khazhak catches it in his own.
"I'm no hero. I've never been a hero. I'm not a savior. I am a killer. I accepted that long ago. But, unlike you, Kamir'ahk," Khazhak slowly stands up and reveals lightning surging from his eyes. "I will never stop trying! RAIRYU ROAR!" Khazhak blasts his brother point-blank with a breath attack.
Kamir'ahk gets blasted through several trees. As soon as he gets up, Khazhak is already in front of him. He punches Kamir'ahk into the air and then jumps up, smashing his fists down on him into the ground. Just as Kamir'ahk gets back up, Khazhak crashes down on him and proceeds to beat the Hell out of him with his fists. Khazhak yells as he pummels his older brother, never giving him a chance to retaliate. Soong enough, the massacre stops and Khazhak glare down at Kamir'ahk, alive but badly beaten, breathing heavily.
Kamir'ahk chuckles, "Heh-heh-heh, I knew you had it in you. That rage. That primal instinct to destroy. You are just like me. Do it. Finish it," Kamir'ahk smirks as Khazhak raises his left fist, but hesitates. "Do it! Do it, or I'll have no choice but to go after that precious little Ruby Rose of yours,"
Khazhak roars and throws his fists down, creating more smoke and dust in the air. However, when the dust settles, Kamir'ahk finds that he's still alive; Khazhak's fist next to his skull.
"I've wanted to kill you for SO long. But, if I do that, then I'd be no better than you. You, who killed our mother. And then I'd never be able to look Ruby in the eye again. I'd never be allowed anywhere near her again. No... No, I will not let that happen," Khazhak gets off of Kamir'ahk. "We are alike in some ways, Kamir'ahk, but not in everything. Unlike you, I have someone worth fighting for, and why I'll never stop fighting,"
Khazhak brings out his dragon wings and flies off to find Ruby, leaving Kamir'ahk behind.
…
At the house, Neo places the teacup back in front of Ruby.
Roman pops up next to her, "I think it's about time we all get what we deserve," he says as the others finally show up. "Just admit it. The world would be a much better place... with you gone,"
Khazhak sees the house from the air and flies towards it. Inside, the others are frozen as Ruby takes the teacup and drinks it, much to their horror. Khazhak suddenly crashes in through the ceiling, but he's too late as Ruby finishes the tea.
"No... Ruby!" Khazhak reaches out to her, but a hole opens up and swallows her up before he can even touch her, and then gets filled with vines. "...Ruby,"
Neo sits in a chair overlooking this, but rather than feel joy or happiness at getting her revenge, she only feels... empty. Devoid of any emotions. She had been so focused on her revenge that she never stopped to consider what would come next. And now... she has nothing. The house around them starts to break apart as her heart breaks too.
"You finally did it. You finally got your revenge on little red! Your semblance has become so strong now, we could even take over this crazy world and do whatever we want," Roman says, but Neo shakes her head. "What? But why not? We can do whatever we want. I mean, getting payback on Ruby couldn't have been the only thing you wanted... right?" he asks, unsure, as Neo realizes that she has nothing left and becomes catatonic.
The other look on in dismay at seeing Ruby being called back by the tree. Khazhak tries to rip the vines off, but they just keep coming back, preventing any progress. Just then, the cat returns.
"No, no, no! I needed her!" the cat tries to claw their way through the vines to, to no avail.
They see the house coming apart, as do the others, and the cat looks back and smirks at Neo in her chair.
Khazhak draws his sword at the cat, "Take. Us. To. The tree. Take us to Ruby now!" he demands.
"After all this time, you still don't understand. It's not a place you go. It's a place you know. But, no matter. I believe I've found a much better solution to my current predicament," the cat eyes Neo. They blast everyone away into the wall, with the exception of Jaune who's saved by Juniper and Khazhak, who uses his wings to stop before the wall. The cat gets bigger, their colors turning to white and black, and they pounce onto Neo. "You have lost something very important to you. And now, with it gone, you have nothing left to hold onto," the cat says, while Neo remains frozen. "An empty host. Perfect for me to fill and become," the cat say before plunging themselves into Neo through her mouth, taking her over.
"No!" Jaune runs and tries to stop it, but he's too late as the cat takes control of Neo's body.
"Ah, the Rusted Knight," the cat speaks through Neo's lips. "You know, I've always hated that stupid little sob story of yours. So pathetic. You can't even accept your own futility," the cat stands, his eyes replacing Neo's, and his toothy grin on her face, shocking Jaune. They inspect their new body with a smile. "This body will most certainly do,"
They float up, turning into a bunch of pink and purple particles, a mix of their powers and Neo's semblance, before flying out of the house and heading towards the tree.
Khazhak looks back at the tree through the opening, "...Ruby,"
And that's the chapter. Khazhak beats Kamir'ahk, but Ruby loses to Neo and breaks down before drinking the tea and going to the tea before anyone can help her. Now, the cat has possessed Neo and is heading for the tree, the one place Jaune has avoided for so long. Will Khazhak and the others be able to save Ruby before it's too late? Until then, please Read and Review.
P.S. I have a special surprise for you all in the last chapter for this volume, so stay tuned.
P.S.S. I know some of you have been asking for it, but I want to let you all know that once RWBY KEPL and the new chapter for RWBY KEPL Openings are completed, I will get started on the Demon Eater's Rose. Just too much going on in my life right now for me to work on so many stories at once. I also plan on writing a RWBY KEPL version of the Ice Queendom series, so stay tuned for that. Thank you.