RWBY is property of Roosterteeth! I only own my characters.
CHAPTER 33
Eve stepped parried a strike from Enigma that had been intended for Peleus, knocking the small Lord away. Enigma skidded across the moonlit desert, tiny particles of sand bouncing off her armor. Despite the situation being five-against-one, the small Lord had the upper hand. The only person at near-full strength was Elise, having only briefly used her powers to rescue the others from the Deathstalker nest.
"Well," Elise said, bashing her shield into Enigma to force the Lord back, "it seems we dealt with one problem, only for another to replace it."
"She was probably watching us fight earlier," Eve replied, firing a projectile of of red energy. "When she saw that we were mostly weakened, she must have decided to make a move."
"Lord Agony... will not allow... Nikos... to warn others... of the Order's location..." Enigma said. The Lord warped forward, one of her clawed arms slashing wildly at Ignis, who deflected the blow with his sword. Cherri waved her hand from behind the Bloodline of Flame, and long vines emerged from the sand to attempt to grab Enigma. "Maybe... he will be... happy... if I... eliminate other... problems... as well..."
An icy javelin from Peleus traced by the Lord's arm, clipping the cloth on her arms. Enigma warped out of the way of a second thrown weapon, taking refuge at the top of a dune to heal the slash across her limb.
"At least this one has to disengage to heal..." Ignis commented. He panted and coughed. Cherri's healing had gotten him back on his feet, but the Bloodline of Flame could feel that he still had numerous internal injuries that her ability had not fully healed. Fighting with Enigma only seemed to be aggravating those existing wounds.
"Ryan, should I-" the Maiden started, only for the ex-Lord to wave her down.
"After," Ryan answered, "I don't want Enigma attempting to take your head off while you're busy trying to heal me." Elise took several steps back as the Lord delivered a powerful kick to her shield. Despite her target being the Senator, Enigma's attacks had been unusually focused on Eve and Elise. Was it because she considered them the largest threats?
The Lord popped out of thin air next to Ryan and kicked him in the side, knocking him into Cherri and sending them both tumbling back down towards the cavern containing the Grimm nest. The Maiden reacted quickly, creating a thick net of vines across the hole over the Deathstalkers. The Grimm seemed to sense the disturbance above, and flooded towards the surface, their claws and stingers poking through Cherri's net. Ryan grabbed the Maiden and rolled off the net as a particularly large Grimm's pincer stabbed through the thick vines.
"Th- Thank you, Ryan," Cherri said, blushing despite the situation. The Deathstalker might not have been able to see them, but the sharp claw had come within inches of impaling them. The net began to give way under the sheer number of dark creatures underneath.
"Time to go," Ignis commented, picking up the Maiden suddenly in his arms. As they reached the top of the dune where Enigma was fighting the others, Cherri's net broke, and the Grimm poured out like some sort of hellish geyser. Unable to see either of them, the Deathstalkers skittered past Ryan and the Maiden, making a beeline for the four other figures currently engaged in combat.
Elise and Eve turned as the Grimm stampeded over the sand towards them, kicking dust up into the night air as the frenzied horde drew closer. Eve grabbed Peleus by the arm and flared her ability, re-summoning her wings to float above the swarm. Elise followed shortly after, her pair of dove's wings glowing at her back. Enigma, however, was descended upon by the Grimm.
The Lord whipped one of her clawed hands upward, the three razor-sharp blades slicing cleanly through a Deathstalker's head, bone and all. She slammed her palm into the ground, releasing a blast of psychic energy that sent the large Grimm flying in all directions.
Peleus watched in horror as the one small girl in Order armor began to tear the Deathstalkers to shreds. She became a whirlwind of wild slashes and stabs, cutting the Grimm to ribbons. Sensing the danger, the swarm began to fall back as the largest among their number could not even lay a claw on the Lord. Enigma visibly panted as the Grimm retreated back into their underground cavern.
"So, that's the weakness in her ability," Eve commented. "She's incredibly powerful against small groups or single targets because of her access to multiple secondary abilities, but in drawn out fights, those same powers drain her energy much faster..."
"I think she still wants us dead, though," Elise replied as the Lord's helmet snapped up to look at them. Enigma vanished and reappeared a few feet from the sister Bloodlines and the Senator in the air. Eve dropped her altitude quickly to avoid getting her head removed. Elise delivered a sharp blow to the Lord with her shield, sending the Lord tumbling down into the sand below.
Enigma jumped to her feet, only to be sent sprawling as Ryan smashed his fist into the side of her helmet. The piece of armor flew off into the distance. The Lord felt the wind against her skin and froze.
"N-No... Lord Agony... will be furious... I can't- Never supposed... to take it off..." the Lord spoke frantically.
"What..." Peleus' eyes widened. The others donned looks of similar surprise as Enigma turned to face them. Blood-red hair, Emerald eyes, and freckles. She looked several years younger than Eve or Elise, perhaps only sixteen, but the facial features were undeniable. The Lord's face wasn't only similar to the Bloodlines of Light and Sorrow, it was nearly identical.
"I- I can't-" Enigma search frantically for her missing helmet. Upon finding that it was nowhere in sight, the Lord threw a frightened look towards the shocked-looking faces around her, and vanished into thin air.
"Wait!" Elise called out just as Enigma disappeared. A small puff of sand dropped to the ground in the spot the Lord had stood a moment before.
"I knew it..." Eve muttered and closed her eyes. "That bastard..."
"Poor girl," Elise shook her head.
"Agony's probably just using her as a tool," Ryan added knowingly. "Judging from how she acts, I don't think she's ever had a normal interaction with another living being."
"Wait, what?" Peleus finally spoke up. "Eve, is that girl your sister!? What is going on!?" Confusion was evident on his face.
"No," Eve answered. "Well..."
"She kinda is, and kinda isn't," Elise supplied.
"What does that mean!?" Peleus demanded. He was suddenly becoming very wary of the three Bloodlines. What if they were working for the enemy? What if they were using him to lead them to high-value targets?
"She's- um..." Elise looked at Eve questioningly. "Should we tell them?"
"Take your time" Cherri smiled kindly. "This is all very sudden, so all of us need to slow down."
"Thank you," Eve said softly. "First, I think I should introduce Elise."
"I'm Eve's sister," the Guardian said promptly.
"Sort of," Ryan commented from the side.
"I'm confused again," Peleus stated. "What exactly are you two? Are you sisters or not?"
"Well..." Eve sighed. "We're sisters, but not in the traditional sense. As you can see, we're not the same age. However, our genetics are identical, which is why we look so similar."
"Wait," the Senator held up a hand. "You're talking about cloning?"
"Yes..." Even nodded. "Elise and I... are technically the same person..."
"Well, not really though," Elise countered. "We have our own experiences and lives, so we aren't exactly the same."
"Yes, well... there's to it than that..." Eve continued. "Agony... is our father..."
"He's what!?" Peleus yelled. "Your father is that- that monster!?" He trailed off.
"You're preaching to the converted, Senator," Ryan said, putting a hand in front of Peleus. "There's no need to yell." The Mistral politician closed his mouth tightly. "Go ahead."
"Agony's real daughter... died in infancy due to a genetic defect..." Eve explained. "After that, he used his knowledge to try to bring her back, but at the same time tried to make her 'better'. Over time, as he failed countless times to bring her back, I think he lost sight of that goal... He became obsessed with creating a 'perfect human', which is probably why he gravitated towards the Order when it was founded, since their founding thought was that Auras were fundamentally superior to Humans." Eve looked down at her feet. "With the Order's ability to procure resources for him, Agony was able to further his research... and I was his first success. An artificial Bloodline. At the time, I didn't know that I was the only one out of a batch of over a thousand to survive... Elise was the second to ever survive, but she didn't have a Bloodline ability, so Agony disposed of her as a failure..."
"I got tossed in a river," Elise added. "Kinda archaic, huh? I was lucky though. A kind woman happened to find me that day, and she took this wayward baby home to raise as her own. I grew up not knowing that I had been grown instead of born, with parents and a brother that didn't care where I'd come from..."
"Meanwhile, Agony was raising me as something somewhere between his daughter and a soldier," Eve said. "I didn't want for food, shelter, or... family... but I was trained harshly, and wasn't allowed to make mistakes lightly... Then, there was a day where I was taken before the High Lord of the Order at the time, Lord Esprit. The war between the Order and EDC had begun in full at this point. I was made a Lord to act as a commander against normal Humans... and I was good at it because of my training..."
"Long story short," Elise said, "I joined the Guardians and ended up running into Eve several times. We eventually discovered the truth behind our creation, and Eve wound up leaving the Order before we chased them off Earth."
"Right," Eve nodded. "The point is... Agony seems to have created a third successful child... and that's Enigma. She's the next step towards his 'perfect Human'..."
"But she isn't like the two of you," Cherri spoke up. "She seemed sort of... broken... somehow."
"Agony probably believes that the fact he treated me with any sort of kindness is why I was able to leave," Eve explained. "He's probably stripped any sort of Human element out of how Enigma was raised..."
"What kind of man would do that to his own flesh and blood?" Peleus asked in horror.
"The kind of man who's become unhinged and power-hungry," Ryan answered. Cherri nodded her head solemnly in agreement.
"I believe I owe the three of you an apology, then..." Peleus bowed his head. "I was beginning to fear that we were not on the same side, but I was wrong... Eve, I am sorry for suspecting you, your sister, and your friend."
"No offense taken, Peleus," Eve replied. "Trust is something that is earned, and I wasn't being particularly open or direct. It's no surprise that you'd be more than a little cautious."
"Right," Elise smiled, "so we're all friends again? If so, let's get to digging a working transport out of the sand."
"Elise is right," Cherri nodded, "We should try to get moving again before sunrise. The desert heats up very quickly."
"Then we'd better get started," Peleus nodded. "Our transport should still be working. Miss Cherri, you and I should see what you can salvage from your craft."
"On it," the Maiden replied, padding towards the Bullhead she and Ryan had crashed in.
"So, where was everyone heading?" Elise asked, following Ryan, and Eve towards the functioning Mistral aircraft.
"The Kingdom of Vale," Eve answered. "Peleus believe a man there can help him."
"That person's name wouldn't happen to be 'Ozpin', would it?" Ryan asked. "Because Cherri is trying to reach him as well, if that's the case."
"Yes, I believe that was his name," Eve nodded.
"Guess we were all headed in the same direction, then," Elise smiled, stopping in front of the partially buried Bullhead. "Alright, let's dig this thing out. Then, onwards we go to Vale..."
Shiro dropped to her knees and punch a frustrated fist into the desert sand. She had come so close, not once, but twice, to claiming another Maiden's power for her own, and each time she had been foiled by people with powers far surpassing the normal people of Remnant. Just who or what were they? Had the group "protecting" the Maidens found an effective way to actually do their jobs?
What really angered Shiro, however, was how close she had come to defeat. She had made sure not to show signs of fatigue during the fight, but her aura had dropped to less than a fourth of its maximum strength. Albeit, she hadn't gone into her most recent fight at full power, she had still been recovering from her fights back in Vale. Still, Shiro had realized that her most recent engagement had been impossible to win in her current state.
The pale woman sat cross-legged in the sand and began to think. The main issue was that she had been blindsided. If it had been only the Maiden and her single protector, Shiro would have won easily, but it was the arrival of the other parties that had defeated her. Thinking about how close her victories had been frustrated her even more.
Shiro found herself looking at an oasis in the distance, a small patch of water with a touch of green around it, encapsulated by a bowl of stone. The pale woman became painfully aware of her parched throat, and decided that it would probably be best for her to move towards the water. Just as this thought entered her head, Shiro felt her aura drain a great deal. She suddenly fell from several inches above the ground, but quickly realized she was significantly closer to the oasis.
Shiro suddenly smiled to herself. She hadn't been aware of it before, but when she had kissed that white-haired boy back in Mountain Glenn to taste some of the Maiden's power, she must have picked up some of his ability as well. She stared at the oasis again, and tried to repeat the warp. Again, her aura drained greatly, leaving Shiro with less than an eighth of her total strength. She also noticed that her intended destination for the teleportation was several meters to her right.
So, she had received a more costly and less precise version of the boy's power? It seemed that way, since he had used his ability multiple times with little effort to cover the distance between Beacon Academy and Mountain Glenn, and the pale woman was barely able to warp twice to cover roughly a quarter of a mile. Still, she could make this work.
Shiro smiled to herself. This would be her ace in the hole. She'd turn the boy's own power against him. Thinking of the surprise on his face made her shiver with delight. Shiro began to form a plan in her head. She would return to Vale and track down the silver-haired Maiden and her companion first. Once they were dealt with, she'd be able to challenge the remaining Maiden with little effort and take her power as well. Then, with power equivalent to three and a half of the Maidens at her disposal, Shiro would be free to track down the Fall Maiden at her leisure. And once she had all four, then the world would be hers.
A/N: This one turned out okay, I think. It's not as long as last chapter (thankfully), but I expect that there will be a couple longer chapters near the end. Sorry that it took so long for this to be posted. XCom 2 released, and I got distracted.
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