RWBY is property of Roosterteeth! I only own my characters.
CHAPTER 37
Melody yawned and rose from where she lay on a tattered carpet. She looked down at Chaos, who was still sleeping peacefully next to her. It had been over a week since Shiro had attacked her, but with no destination in mind, the two had stayed in Mountain Glenn. The silver-haired girl stretched once before laying back down on her back, staring at the ceiling. As her eyes traced over the aging cracks and mildew around them, her thoughts began to wander.
Melody looked over at Chaos' resting form again. In the three months since she had met the Bloodline, her life had taken all sorts of twists and turns that she hadn't expected. She turned onto her side, curling up beside the white-haired boy. Ever since the night that she had broken down in his arms, Melody and Chaos hadn't strayed far from each other.
Melody let out a soft sigh as she edged closer to the ex-Lord for warmth. While the two of them had become quite close, the silver-haired girl realized that she actually knew more about the Bloodline than he did about her. Of course, it didn't help that she barely knew anything about herself.
Melody gently placed a hand over one of Chaos' arms, softly brushing against the scabbed wounds that covered them. Whatever power Chess had tapped into was something Melody never wanted to see him use again. It was clearly powerful, but if simply activating it had left his body damaged... she didn't want to think what would happen if he was forced to fight for an extended period.
Don't worry, Melody. Chess has survived war worse injuries than a few holes in his arms. Mini's voice echoed in the silver-haired girl's head. Melody kept forgetting that the smaller version of Chess could speak to her whenever she was touching the older one.
"I'm not sure I want to know what that means..." Melody whispered quietly.
I sense that something is troubling you. Mini stated. But it's not about his injuries, is it?
"I... I guess I feel guilty... about not telling Chess anything about me. He's done his best to explain Earth so that I could understand him better... but I haven't done any of that."
He doesn't particularly care, you know. Mini's ghostly child form appeared out of thin air, sitting down cross-legged on the side of Chaos opposite of where Melody lay. Chess is more concerned with keeping you safe at the moment. Melody's cheeks took on a slight red tinge.
"R-really..." Melody avoided Mini's gaze, before remembering that the boy wasn't actually there. "H-he said that?"
Well, not to me directly, but I know. Mini shrugged.
"Right..." Melody nodded slightly, "because you and Chess are the same person..."
I sense you haven't fully grasped the meaning of those words? Mini asked. The specter's tone was patient. I realize that the wording could have been better, but I wanted Chess to figure everything out himself.
"Has he?"
No, not yet anyway. Would you like me to explain it to you?
"Ye-" Melody stopped suddenly. "Actually... no... That would be wrong... if I knew something about Chess that even he didn't."
Well, he does know. The issue is that his mind is suffering from over a decade of damage, and as a result, he is having trouble remembering and accepting what he knows. He will need to face his past sooner or later.
"I can't force him to do that," Melody shook her head against the dusty carpet. "Especially when I..." She shook her head again. "And besides, when he said he didn't want to get rid of his past, didn't he face it?"
No. What he did was end up locking his past away. That's fine in the short term... but in the long run... Well, let's just say he can only avoid it for so long.
"You're talking about the other voice," Melody said.
Yes, that is correct. Mini sighed. Be glad you have not been exposed to her.
"Who is she?"
That woman is... our mother... In life, she was a detestable and cruel Human being, and in death, she's no different. Melody heard a twinge of rage edge its way into Mini's voice. Suddenly, something caught her eye. Mini idly reached over his right shoulder to rub at something, and Melody captured a glimpse of what looked like a large bloody wound wrapping itself around his body.
"Are you alright?" Melody whispered urgently.
Oh? Mini seemed genuinely surprised. You saw? Yes, I'm fine. The small boy smiled. I'm not real in a physical sense, remember? And even if I was, this is old, nothing to worry about.
"But then why are they..." Melody trailed off. Mini's shirt began to sprout dark splotches.
Our mother is attempting to escape. Mini wheezed and gripped his chest. I... will go deal with this. Melody watched in stunned horror as Mini's once-white shirt quickly became a blood-soaked rag on his body. Then, the ghost of the boy vanished into thin air. Melody stared at the air where he had been, her eyes still wide in shock. Suddenly, something clicked in her head. Melody began to shake Chaos frantically.
"Hrm? What?" the Bloodline mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. "Melody? What's-"
"I need you to take off your shirt," she said abruptly.
"What?" Chaos eyed her oddly for a moment, before noticing the massive amount of fear in her expression. "Why?"
"Just- Just... please..." Melody whimpered. As the ex-Lord hesitantly complied with her request, Melody's heart raced in trepidation. She had figured out what Mini had meant about him and Chess being the same person.
Chaos placed his armor's chestplate on the floor of the room. Melody suddenly grabbed his shirt and lifted it off him in one fluid motion. Her heart froze in her chest. For the first time, she became aware of how small and thin Chess was. Without his armor, the Bloodline appeared deathly ill, nearing skeletal in figure. Little to no muscle adorned his limbs or chest, but that wasn't what Melody had been looking for. She reached out a hand, causing Chess to flinch lightly at her touch. All across his flesh were scars. Hundreds of them, standing out clearly against his pale skin. They crossed, weaved, and curved everywhere across his back and chest, and traveled a good ways down his arms. Many of the wounds looked like they had never healed properly, with raised, knotted skin dotting Chess' back.
Melody leaned forward and hugged the ex-Lord tightly from behind, pressing her cheek against the scar-ridden skin on his back. Chaos felt a tear drip onto his exposed flesh.
"Melody?" he said. "What's-" She turned him around and hugged his front. Hesitantly, the Bloodline returned her embrace, causing a warm sensation to flow across him.
"Chess..." Melody whispered. "I... I don't care what happened to you before we met... I- I won't leave you, okay?"
"Okay," Chaos nodded slowly, still unclear as to what was going on. The silver-haired girl held him tighter in her arms. Melody finally understood what Mini was. He was Chess, just like he had said... but more specifically, the boy was the embodiment of the tortured soul in the older Chess' body. The open wounds on Mini's body, perfectly corresponding to scars on Chess'... The small boy was quite literally the scars that would never heal.
"So, provided nothing has changed since you left Mistral..." Cinder muttered, looking down at a map of the Eastern Kingdom. Peleus stood beside her with Pyrrha, the student watching the two adults plan out their assault on the Order. "Would the optimal route be through the Residential District or the Commercial..." The black-haired woman placed her hand under her chin thoughtfully.
"The taller buildings in the Residential District would have generally better cover," Peleus supplied, "but the Order has likely set up fortifications to take advantage of that for their own purposes..."
"Hmm... Perhaps if we-"
"Is Pyrrha in here?" Ruby's head popped through the room's door.
"Yes, I'm right here," the Mistral girl answered quickly.
"Can I borrow you for a sec?" Ruby asked.
"What for?"
"It's a surprise. Just come on." Pyrrha looked to her father, who gave her a dismissive wave.
"Miss Fall and I can handle this, Pyrrha," Peleus said softly. "Go with your friend." The redheaded student nodded her head in acknowledgment and followed Ruby out the door.
"Even though it'll probably be better defended, I think the abundance of cover and alternate routes in the Residential area would prove the best option," Cinder continued. "Plus, the sewer system is there in a pinch as an emergency escape route."
"The Commercial District would allow for a larger force to move through more quickly though," Peleus argued.
"It would, but I'm planning under the assumption that the Mistral forces would be unable to assist us. If we establish an absolute worst-case scenario first, and formulate a plan around that, our job will become easier as we add more troops," Cinder replied shortly.
"I see," the Senator nodded. "Well, in that case..."
"Here, could you angle it towards me a little?" Ryland asked. Yang obliged quickly, adjusting the disconnected segments of Ryland's prosthetic arm. The soldier was wielding a welding tool in his right hand, working on putting the destroyed limb back together while Yang helped him hold the thing still. "Thanks." A small shower of sparks jumped and bounced off the worktable the pair was standing at. "Hey Gramps, think you could hand me the-" Ryland stopped and flinched.
"I know," Yang said softly, picking up the tool she knew her boyfriend was looking for. She held the small wrench out to him. "I keep forgetting Carbon's gone too."
"Yeah..." Ryland sighed. "He'd be pissed if he knew we we're this bummed out over him, wouldn't he?"
"He'd probably say something about how we should 'stop moping over an old man and get working'. Or something like that," Yang smiled.
"Sounds about right," Ryland smirked, using the wrench to tighten a series of small bolts on the arm. He stifled a loud yawn.
"Do you need a break?" Yang inquired gently. "We've been at this since this morning, and we missed lunch."
"I need to get this thing finished ASAP," the young soldier answered. "Fighting aside, I need two hands to start helping out with fixing up the Corvette."
"I'm sure that the others can get it running again," the blonde student patted her boyfriend on the back.
"Well, I'm the only EDC-qualified engineer left in Remnant... So until that hunk of junk gets the 'Felstrand Seal of Approval', it's not going anywhere."
"So," Ryland saw an impish smirk spread across Yang's face, "you'll be making sure everything's in... ship-shape?" The orange-haired soldier chuckled.
"That was terrible," he laughed. "Please never become a comedian."
"Really? I think most people would pay an arm and a leg to see me on stage," Yang's smile only grew. Ryland shook his head, but kept laughing.
"We're on the brink of battle, and you're cracking jokes," the solider guffawed.
"You know you love me for it," Yang tilted her head to the side innocently. "Besides, I need to get it all out of my system now."
"Can it wait until after we're done repairing my arm?"
"No promises."
"So, what do you think of Marcia?" Luna asked dejectedly, laying her cheek against a cool metal table. She and Firo had been in the process of sorting through salvageable equipment, but were taking a quick break from pulling extra sets of armor and weapons out from the mess of crates before them. Apparently, the Order had also located the storage room that the EDC had converted into a makeshift armory, and had taken pleasure is dismantling it with a handful of grenades. Thankfully, a majority of the equipment stored seemed to have survived, with the exception of one corner where there had been a box of explosives.
"She's a bit rough..." Firo replied, taking a seat across from Luna, "but I think she's a good person."
"Wish she'd stop dragging Alex off..." Luna pouted.
"Wait," Firo's single rabbit ear twitched emphatically. "Luna, are you jealous of her?"
"No," the azure-haired woman answered unconvincingly. Firo quirked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe a little... You can't tell me you're not a little annoyed with Dimitri spending so much time with her too."
"Not at all," Firo shook her head, rabbit ear flopping back and forth. "I trust Dimitri. Don't you trust Alex?"
"Of course!" Luna said louder than she had intended. "But I don't trust her."
"Luna, you're an adult. You're a bit too old to be thinking like this," Firo chastised her friend as gently as she could. "I understand that you love Alex a lot, but you can't worry about absolutely everything he does."
"I know..." Luna sighed, pressing her face against the table. "It's just that... Alex is the first person I've ever been... together... with... and I'm afraid of it ending..."
"And that's fine," Firo said placatingly. "You just need to do your part to keep the relationship going, and trust that Alex will-"
"What about me?" the blond soldier in question poked his head through the door.
"Nothing!" Luna shot up so she was sitting straight. Her face had turned a rather vivid shade of red. "Nothing at all!"
"Of course," Dimitri's voice replied as the Russian himself stepped into the room behind Alex. "Marcia got called off to talk with Peleus and Cinder, so we figured we'd come give you both a hand."
"Thought it was a bit wrong that we hadn't spent too much time with either of you," Alex rubbed the back of his head apologetically. Firo walked over to Dimitri and gave him a quick kiss in greeting. Alex sputtered a bit as Luna threw her arms around his neck with surprising force.
"You're forgiven," the azure-haired woman muttered.
"Uh... should we come back later?" Ruby's voice interjected. The two couples turned towards the door to find Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha standing in the entryway. Ruby and Blake had knowing looks of amusement on their faces, while the other two girls seemed to be doing their best to avoid making direct eye contact with the occupants of the room.
"Er, no. Come on in, Ruby," Alex said sheepishly. "Did you all need something?"
"We were looking to get Pyrrha and Weiss each a set of armor if you've got any spares floating around. And Blake and I both need replacement parts for ours," Ruby answered quickly.
"The suit of armor I received before is still back in Atlas," Weiss supplied, seeming eager to move the conversation away from the scene they had walked in on. "I didn't have time to grab it before we evacuated."
"We're probably going to have to set Winter up with a replacement as well then..." Dimitri nodded. "But let's get all of you out of the way first. Albi, how are we doing on-"
"Luna and I have retrieved four undamaged sets of armor, and several dozen damaged ones," Firo reported with a smile.
"Can you two help Pyrrha and Weiss get fitted?" Alex asked. "D and I can help Ruby and Blake scavenge replacement segments off the damaged sets."
"Sure thing," Luna smiled. As the two soldiers went off to the side, Luna picked up a pair of the fully-functional sets of armor. Weiss, having worn one before, easily slipped into the mixture of cloth and metal. She stood calmly as the armor's plating and sleeves shifted to fit her form. The Schnee quickly pressed a button on the gauntlet covering her right forearm, causing the suit to adopt the same color scheme as her clothes underneath.
"That's a very impressive set of armor," Pyrrha nodded as Luna moved to help her into the second suit. The Mistral student felt extremely exposed as she removed her traditional armor to make way for the Titanium-alloy plating and cloth of the EDC.
"Okay, fair warning, I'm going to have it refit itself to you," Luna said, opening a panel on the back of Pyrrha's chestplate.
"Why would you need to warn-" Pyrrha let out a high-pitched "eep" as the armor and cloth tightened around her body. After a few moments, the suit's grip on her loosened and the plating shifted into its proper arrangement. "That was... unpleasant..." Pyrrha rolled her shoulders, and suddenly felt the need to check whether she was actually wearing the armor. "It's... really light."
"Yep, you're wearing the pride and joy of a very talented group of engineers," Alex said, returning with Dimitri and the newly reequipped Ruby and Blake. "Well, it's not official in any capacity, but welcome to the EDC, Pyrrha. Glad to have you on board."
Chaos scratched the back of his head with a free arm, as Melody protectively gripped the other. The pair had left the safety of the apartment building they had been hiding in to scrounge for food. They took a meandering patch through the tall buildings of Mountain Glenn, eventually arriving at a particularly overgrown building. From what Chaos and Melody had been able to gather, the skyscraper had once been a research organization dedicated to creating high-yield, fast-growing crops by using Dust. The nuances of how this might have been accomplished was far beyond either of them. Even though the skyscraper itself was long abandoned, with the employees long dead or fled, many of their creations seemed to have survived. Tall, twisted trees burst through the skyscraper's broken windows, reaching for the setting sunlight.
Chaos and Melody scanned the area. While the old building was a prime source of sustenance for them, it seemed to also have attracted a rather sizable flock of Griffons, fairly large Grimm that resembled the creatures from Earth's old myths. With Melody, they were invisible, but the flock's presence was the primary reason they hadn't stayed in the skyscraper itself.
Upon determining the area seemed to be clear of Grimm for the moment, Chaos came to a halt and closed his eyes. In a split second, he and Melody vanished from the road and reappeared on one of the building's upper floors. The Bloodline and his companion went to work, gathering as many fruits and vegetables as they could shove into Melody's bag and carry in their arms. When they had filled up on plants, Melody once again gripped Chaos' hand. With another brief moment of concentration, the pair reappeared on the street at the base of the skyscraper.
They slowly worked their way back towards the apartment building, passing a trio of young Nevermores fighting over the corpse of some rodent that had crawled out from the sewers beneath the city. The pair carefully stepped over the broken glass that littered the entryway, the material cracking lightly under their shoes. As they neared the room they had claimed, Chaos suddenly held up his hand.
"You didn't leave the door open, did you?" the Bloodline whispered. Melody quickly confirmed that their room's entrance was indeed ajar.
"I'm sure I closed it..." Melody answered in a hushed voice. She gulped. Chaos closed his eyes. He had never been the best at detecting energy signatures, which was part of the reason Guardians arriving to reinforce the EDC had caught him off guard more than once during the war. The Bloodline was able to perceive two distinct signatures within the room, both exceedingly powerful. However, it wasn't Shiro, which was the entity he was most worried about sensing. Still, he and Melody had uninvited guests.
"I'll go in first... see if they're hostile or not," Chaos whispered.
"And if they are?" Melody asked.
"Then I'll make sure they don't hurt you," he answered. The silver-haired girl slowly nodded her head, clearly sensing the underlying implication that if someone attempted to harm her, Chess would rip them apart with no hesitation. As much as Melody hoped that they could avoid conflict, there was something about hearing her companion promise to protect her that caused a small thrill of happiness to flutter in her heart.
Chaos pushed his way into the apartment, two of his dark blades rising from his shadow in preparation for an attack. The Bloodline suddenly found himself face-to-face with a pair of women. One was tanned, with scars running down the left side of her face. The other was a fair-skinned woman with dull-red hair in a braid and earthy-green eyes.
"Um... You're not... a girl..." the redheaded woman said nervously. She flinched as one of Chaos' blades hovered menacingly behind him. The other woman readied a staff at her side.
"Who are you?" Chaos demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"We're here looking for Melody," the fair-skinned woman explained frantically. "My name is Cherri, and this is Amber."
"Chess?" Melody poked her head in the room. "What's happening?"
"Are you Melody?" Amber asked, warily eying the Bloodline standing in front of her. "We need to talk to you." The silver-haired girl took a few steps forward and placed a calming hand on Chaos' shoulder. Hesitantly, he withdrew his blades, and the tension in the room disappeared. Cherri let out a sigh of relief. The four occupants of the room stood in a loose circle on the aging carpet.
"Here," Melody offered the two women some of the fruit she and Chaos had gathered.
"Thank you," Cherri did her best to smile as she accepted an apple, but she could feel Chaos' eyes digging into her and Amber. "Um... we're not here to fight..." If anything, the Maiden of Spring now felt like the Bloodline was watching her more carefully.
"Chess, it's okay... I think," Melody said placatingly. "If they were working with Shiro, they probably wouldn't have waited for us. They'd have attacked us when we were outside."
"I'll still be keeping an eye on both of them," the ex-Lord replied.
"Anyway," Melody said, biting into a peach. "Why are you two looking for me?"
"Well, the first thing is..." Amber replied, "are you aware of the power you wield?" Melody's expression suddenly became sad and darkened.
"You mean my curse?" the girl inquired.
"It's not a curse," Amber answered. "It's a gift, and a-"
"I really don't see it that way," Melody countered. "This... whatever it is... I lost everything because of it... That's not a gift."
"I..." Amber trailed off. She exchanged a look with Cherri. "Melody, do you know the story of the Maidens?"
"That's sort of sudden, but yes, my mom used to tell it to me all the time," the girl nodded slowly. "Why?"
"Would you believe me... if I told you that the Maidens were real?" Amber asked.
"If you'd asked me that three months ago... I would have said 'no'... But ever since I met Chess," Melody placed her hand over Chaos' as she said his name, "I think I've come to accept there are powerful entities out there."
"Well, Amber and I are both Maidens," Cherri smiled. "And... uh... judging from the energy he's giving off... your friend, Chess... he's a 'Bloodline', right?"
"You're what?" Melody asked, ignoring Cherri's second question entirely.
"Cherri is telling the truth," Amber nodded. "She is the current Maiden of Spring, and I am the Maiden of Fall."
"But then, why are you looking for me?" Melody questioned. She had a sinking feeling she knew the answer.
"That's because you are one of us," Amber answered seriously. "Melody, you are the newest bearer of the power of the Maiden of Winter. Shiro, the woman who attacked you, has stolen the powers of the Summer Maiden and part of my own. We need your help in order to defeat-"
"No!" Melody shook her head vigorously. Her peach fell from her hands and bounced off the floor. "I- I can't! Even if I am a Maiden, I can't even control my power!"
"Melody," Cherri tried her best to speak soothingly, "I understand that this might be a shock to you, but you're the only one capable of helping us. Remnant itself is in danger."
"I..." Melody looked at the ground. "I don't even have a choice... do I?"
"Of course you do," Amber said softly. "But we need you to understand the impact that your answer has."
"But I-" the silver-haired girl's eyes filled with panic, "I don't know what to do! I-" A calm sensation suddenly washed over her. Melody glanced down to find Chess tightly gripping her hand. Silently, the Bloodline seemed to say that he would follow her no matter what decision she made.
"I'm sorry that this was so sudden..." Cherri apologized and bowed her head.
"I- I wi-" Melody squeezed Chess' hand and took a deep breath. "I'm not strong... but I want to help if I can..." The ex-Lord nodded his head almost imperceptibly. "Can... the two of you... help me control my power?"
"Of course," Amber answered. "We will do everything we can to help you before we fight Shiro."
"We'll have to work as we move though..." Cherri added. "We plan to fight Shiro far away from and Kingdom or settlement if we can... That way, there's less of a chance of someone getting hurt."
"I understand..." Melody bobbed her head up and down, causing her long, silver bangs to fall in front of her eyes. A collective sigh passed through the three Maidens. Their first meeting had been significantly more stressful than anticipated. However, with that out of the way, the four occupants of the dingy apartment dug into the produce that had been gathered.
Cherri suddenly noticed something. Chess would occasionally flinch when he moved his left arm. The Spring Maiden reached out and took his hand, causing the Bloodline to jump slightly at the abrupt contact.
"You're injured?" Cherri guessed. "May I?"
"It's nothing," Chess answered, tearing his hand away from the Maiden's grasp. The sleeve of his shirt fell, revealing the numerous puncture wounds dotting his limb.
"That doesn't look like nothing!" Cherri cried urgently. She grabbed the young Bloodline's arm again, and proceeded to use her power to heal every wound she could find, patting down the confused ex-Lord in search of further injuries. Chess blinked in surprise at the amount of genuine concern that the redheaded woman was displaying. "What is it with you Bloodlines and being stubborn!?" Cherri demanded. "At least three of those wounds were already infected!"
"I..." Chess trailed off, still recovering from what had just transpired. Amber and Melody suddenly began to laugh at the utterly befuddled expression on the boy's face.
"Usually, you'd say 'thank you' to the person who just saved you from having your arms amputated," Cherri huffed, though it was clear she was amused at the Bloodline's face as well.
"R-right... Thanks." Chess replied. Despite the fact they were laughing at him, the Bloodline felt a twinge of amusement enter his chest as well. Once the Maidens had settled down again, Cherri and Amber began to outline their plan to Melody in greater detail. With their path set, the Maidens and one Bloodline exited the apartment building and began their journey in search of their enemy.
A/N:One group is away. Second is soon to follow. I am still writing out chapters as quickly as my feeble hands can type them.
Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are always appreciated! Let me know what you think! Got a question for me? Go ahead and leave one in a review, or if you don't want to share the answer, send me a PM. I will answer as quickly as I am able.
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