Their breathing was heavy and laboured. Their clothing was ripped and torn. They had wounds all over their bodies, thin lines of blood trailing down their arms, legs and faces. Some were struggling to stand, others to maintain conciousness, but that undeniable spark of defiance in the face of the inevitable lit their eyes like an all consuming flame.
Spots felt a tinge of respect towards the insects attempting to defeat him.
They were quite young, younger than most who came into this realm, but they fought with skill far beyond that of many would-be Hero's. They were all light on their feet, strong and adaptable. Their weapons were strange and foreign, and they handled them with great degree's of skill. They attacked him as one after recovering from his warning; a dreadful roar designed to frighten trespassers away from here.
Yet, unlike most, they stood their ground, and proceeded to fight. Like ants they spread about, surrounding and climbing over him, their attacks like irritating bites. He shrugged them off, thrashing about wildly so they could not keep hold or balance. He spat streams of flame that charcoaled the already darkened earth. He smashed the ground, birthing tremors and debris that filled the chamber. He swung his claws, tearing into their flesh, and beat them back till they stood at the far end of the chamber, their current state a testament to the battle that just occurred.
Spots winced. Though the intruders were in a poor state, he was no better off than they. He had yet to recover from the injuries he had received from the previous intruder, the blade cutting deep into his flesh. The blade had been enchanted with some form of magic, causing a burning sensation and delaying Spots regeneration.
The current intruders also managed to injure him. Though their weapons bore no signs of enchantment, they fought with an unusual form of magic, and with the numbers they had it came as no surprise to Spot that they would manage to wound him. Though there were many little cuts and holes from the blades and bullets that he had been struck with, they were only minor and his regeneration healed them quite quickly. However, he had received one wound which had yet to completely heal itself, and Spots glared at the perpetrator as she lay pinned underfoot.
The little red nuisance had managed to cause a gashing wound into the side of his leg.
Failure.
That term resounded in her head like the steady growl of the beast that occupied the chamber. It pained her more than the cuts and bruises that covered her usually flawless skin. It passed through her lips with every heavy breath and left her feeling empty and hollow.
She could understand how Pyrrha felt, unable to do anything when the person she cared for most in the world was in danger. She could only looked through strained and weary eyes as Ruby lay pinned under the monster hounds foot, one head aimed at them, and the other at her little sister.
Yang despised her weakness. Yang loathed herself. Because Ruby's current predicament was her fault.
Originally, Yang was the one that had been trapped, pinned and unable to move. The beast had trapped her when she had tripped over some debris. It sneered at her, and its mouth prepared another flame, one that threatened to burn her completely. Yang felt frightened, though she would never admit it. She was used to fighting soulless monsters and scumbags. The latter was easy to deal with, they always had some ulterior motive and let themselves get distracted. Grimm were easy as well, it was primarily just punching the dumb beasts until they disappeared.
This beast was different. For one reason and one reason alone. It had an aura. A terrifying, deathly and malevolent aura that felt like it was strangling her just by being in its presence. And as she was trapped, that feeling only intensified as the monster sneered at her. Yang was helpless, she couldn't fight back. No. She wouldn't fight back due to the fear. And as the beast's prepared to burn her to cinders, she wondered if this would be how she died.
Then the beast howled in pain and released it's grip. Yang didn't know why, but as she got up and jumped away she saw the reason. Ruby had stuck the blade of Crescent Rose into the top of the hounds leg. The beast attempted to shrug Ruby off, but the blade was in to deep. When Ruby saw that Yang had gotten away safely, she made use of this chance. She fired of a series of bullets that pushed the blade in and down the beasts leg, leaving a long, gashing wound that poured out blood like a slow river.
Yang felt thankful and proud of her sister's accomplishment, but that feeling quickly turned to dread as the beast grabbed Ruby's hood with its jaw and slammed her into the earth. Ruby's aura had managed to protect her from the more damaging effects of the movement, but she was quickly pinned by the beast.
Yang tried to will her body to move, to go and save her little sister. That was her job. She couldn't just let her sister die! But the fatigue had set in, coupled with the fear and wounds she had received earlier, it was a futile effort.
Failure. That's how Yang described herself. She was a failure because she couldn't protect her sister. A failure because she could only watch as the beast prepared another flame. A failure because she couldn't find the strength to move. A failure because the beast had stopped its attack and was now staring at two figures that were emerging from the other side of the gate. A failure because the beast left Ruby alone at the command of a familiar voice. A failure-
...huh?
Yang snapped out of her self-loathing. She head been so occupied with how much a failure she was seeing herself as, that she had failed to see the importance of the new development. Over where the beast had pinned Ruby were two familiar figures, the two that had been the reason for them coming into this hell-hole in the first place.
Rogue and Jaune.
Rogue quickly tended to the girls wounds. He wanted to be mad at Spots for putting her into this state, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Spots was only doing his job, and he didn't come out unscathed either, so he let it be.
Jaune had made his way over to the rest of his friends, carrying with him some potions that Rogue had brought with him for his more than likely battle with Death. Rogue spared a glance in Jaune's direction.
Halfway down the side-path, Jaune had said he was feeling worried and wanted to go back to the entrance. Rogue initially refused, not seeing the point in such an endeavour, but Jaune was adamant about it, and Rogue decided that he wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with the blonde-haired teen and decided to go, if not to just provide Jaune with peace of mind. However, Jaune's feeling had proven accurate, and he was glad that the teen had convinced him to go.
A low whimper snapped Rogue out of his thought's and he quickly returned his attention to Ruby. The girl had cuts and bruises all over, and her clothes had been ripped and torn in various places. She was attempting to control herself, but Rogue could see that she was trembling, terrified of the event's that just occurred and trying to hide the pain her wounds were causing her. Rogue had been bandaging her arm, and he must of applied to much pressure because she winced in pain.
'Sorry.' He said, readjusting the bandage as to relieve the pressure on her arm. 'Is this better?'
Ruby nodded. She glanced over at the beast that had until recently been trying to kill her. Rogue had called the monster hound 'Spots', and when he arrived he had ordered Spots to release Ruby at once. Spots obeyed, and the malevolent and terrifying aura it carried vanished as soon as Rogue appeared. Ruby met Spots eyes, all four of them, and its head was hung low, as if to say that it was sorry for hurting her and her friends.
Ruby looked away, still frightened by the hound. She attempted to get her mind of what just occurred and looked over to her friends. They were all beaten and in no better state than she was. Her eyes gradually fell on Jaune, who was handing out a glass bottle with a strange red liquid to each of them. Ruby frowned, Rogue had given her a bottle of her own to drink, and it tasted disgusting, like all of the foulest tasting medicines had been put together to form the concoction.
There was no denying that it helped however. After she had finished the bottle, it felt as if she had regained all of her lost energy, she also noticed that her wound's didn't seem to bleed as much. Rogue had told her that the potion would help her, but that it was only a temporary solution and that's what the bandages were for.
Satisfied that the others were being tended to, Ruby looked at the man who once again had saved her life. Rogue had placed her on top of one of the debris as a makeshift stool and was now bandaging her other arm. A faint tinge of red dusted her cheeks. As Rogue was tending to her arm he was exceedingly gentle, tender. His hands were warm and surprisingly soft and Ruby shuddered slightly under his touch. He finished bandaging her arm and asked her to pull up her shirt. Ruby's face turned crimson, but Rogue was serious and told her that he needed to check to see how bad the wound's were. Hesitantly, she complied, she pulled up her shirt and stopped shy of her chest. Rogue set about applying a salve he carried with him to deal with bruises and cuts to Ruby's injuries. As soon as his fingers touched her skin he could feel her shiver, and looked up at her in concern.
'Are you okay?'
Ruby nodded, to embarrassed by the situation to respond. It also didn't help that Rogue's manner had not changed at all, and despite the professional way in which Rogue was acting, it didn't stop the heat rising to her cheeks as he continued to gently apply the medicinal salve to her bare skin. When he finally finished, Ruby was grateful that she could fix her shirt, but also felt slightly disappointed that Rogue didn't seem to be affected at all by what just happened. Ruby believed he must of done this many times before, either that or he didn't see Ruby as a woman at all, the thought of which caused her to feel slightly offended.
After ensuring that Ruby was completely healed, Rogue took a glance over at Spots. The guardian still looked dismayed that he had hurt people Rogue knew, but Rogue shot him a comforting smile that put Spots at ease. Rogue then left Ruby where she was and made his way over to Jaune, who was currently tending to the red-haired girl, Pyrrha, who looked no better than any of the other's did.
Not wishing to be left alone with Spots, Ruby followed and was shocked to find how effective the potion truly was. It wasn't just a feeling that she had regained her strength, it was a fact, and she quickly found herself walking in step with him as they made their way over to the others.
When Rogue reached the rest of the Beacon students, he had a variety of questions running through his head, but he believed those could wait. All of them were in just as bad a state as Ruby, and though they had drank the potions, it was clear that they needed better medical attention. He thought for a moment and decided what he should do, when a thought struck him.
'Jaune.' Rogue called, gaining both Jaune's attention as well as everyone else's. 'We're going to go back to the pool. I need you to take point while we escort the others there.'
Jaune opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut up when he saw how serious Rogue was. He didn't exactly understand how the pool would help, but as of now he had to trust that Rogue knew what he was doing. Jaune nodded and, after finishing tending to Pyrrha, stood up and did as Rogue asked.
Though RWBY and JNPR were confused, they didn't argue with Rogue as he told them to follow, nor did they have the energy to. They followed Rogue and Jaune in silence, still shaken. However, as they passed the halfway mark of the tunnel and found the scenery changed from a simple torch lit tunnel to one of magma, they all let out gasps of surprise.
'Lava?!'
Rogue looked over his shoulder at the shocked expressions of the students and let out a light-hearted chuckle. He continued to lead them, thankful that they seemed to be doing well, and walked till the side path was once again in sight and then proceeded to lead them down.
As soon as they reached the chamber at the end; three things occurred.
The first was another exclamation of surprise from all but Rogue. Within the chamber there was a tree and a large pool of water in the corner. The pool had a clouds of steam pouring over it, most likely from being heated by magma.
The second was Jaune questioning how a pool of water such as this managed to exist in the Underworld, it made absolutely no logical sense! Then again, being in the Underworld really didn't leave room for logic.
The third and final event was Rogue spinning on his heel to face everyone, pointing his finger in their direction, and in a completely serious and blunt manner, he spoke.
'Take your clothes off.'
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Rogue rubbing the large hand shaped marks that covered his face with one hand.
After he had told everyone to take their clothes off, he was immediately struck and berated by every female member of the group. Rogue was initially confused, but after realising the implication of his words and noting the dirty looks that were being shot at him, he hastily explained.
Apparently the pool had healing properties, depending on how long one bathed in it, wounds they had received would be completely healed, reverting them back to the state they were in before the battle against Spots. The girls remained unconvinced, but eventually did as asked after Rogue gave a demonstration.
Jaune shuddered at the thought.
Rogue reached for his belt and drew the thin iron dagger from its scabbard. His expression was completely blank as he took the blade and stabbed it into his hand. the end of the blade jutting out the other side like a jagged rock. Though the action had surprised and shocked everyone, Jaune was taken back by how Rogue made no indication that he felt anything, his face maintaining that same blank expression. He then removed the blade and displayed the wound before them, letting them see the gushing blood that trickled down his hand and dripped of his arm like raindrops. When all of them had gotten a good look, he then moved over to the pool and submersed his hand in the water. They all watched curiously as he left it under the water for about a minute, and then resurfaced it and made his way back to them and displayed his hand once more.
They were stunned by what they saw. His hand was healed, not even a scar remained of what was and should have been a hideous wound. He once more asked everyone to take off their clothes and get in the water. Though they had no doubt that the pool worked, they were still uncomfortable with the request. However, Rogue had learnt from his previous mistake, and despite the fact the he also needed the pool to restore his mana, he stated that the girls would take a dip in the water first and the guys would wait by the entrance of the chamber and then they would switch afterwards. The girls were far more comfortable with this arrangement and agreed.
'Where did you learn to do that?'
Jaune looked over at Ren, who was watching what Rogue was doing with curiosity. Though Rogue had been rubbing his hurt cheeks with one hand, he had been mending the rips and tears in Yang's coat with the other. It wasn't just her coat, Rogue had returned most of the girls clothing and armour into it's original state, making them appear good as new. Rogue had actually requested that the girls hand him their clothing so he could fix it. Though all of them, particularly Weiss, had issues with that, Rogue was adamant. He reasoned that the current state of their attire provided little to no protection, and while they were in this place they would need as much protection as possible. It took some convincing, but in the end they agreed. Rogue beamed and, using some of the long strands of grass that lay at the base of the tree, produced a basket for which they could put their clothes in. They did so, in private of course and sent the basket over to him using one of Weiss' glyphs.
As soon as he received the basket, Rogue immediately set to work. Reaching into one of the many leather pouches that occupied his belt, he pulled out a small wooden box (That should not have possibly been able to fit in there) and opened it, revealing various sewing needles and threads. Jaune had watched him since he set to work. He was no expert on the subject, but considering how Rogue flawlessly repaired Ruby's skirt in a manner of minutes, he believed that Rogue must be.
'I did some training as a tailor when I was younger. Ever since then I always make sure to keep a sewing kit on me.' Rogue explained to Ren as he finished mending Yang's coat, repairing it to it's natural state. 'You know, just in case.'
Ren nodded in understanding and watched as Rogue neatly folded the coat and placed it back in the basket along with all the other flawlessly repaired clothing, which Rogue had also cleared of blood using some of the mana he had regained from dipping his hand in the water earlier. 'You must have made a fair bit of money. considering.' He said after a while, admiration clear in his voice.
Rogue chuckled. 'Not as much as I would've liked. But it was enough to keep my belly full and I was content with that.'
Jaune looked at Rogue in confusion. 'What do you mean? What about your parents?' He asked, assuming that his parent's should have been the ones to put food on the table, though immediately regretted being so nosy.
'They died when I was four.' Rogue replied. 'I didn't have any other family, extended or otherwise, so I sort of had to learn how to provide for myself.'
'Sorry.' Jaune apologised, hoping he hadn't brought up any unpleasant memories.
Surprisingly, Rogue smiled. 'Don't be, I was luckier than most. The ones who taught me the trade were a kindly old couple. They were patient with me and took me under their wing when other's really couldn't give a damn.'
'They sound like pretty amazing people.' Jaune said, thankful that Rogue wasn't hurt.
Rogue smiled once more, and his expression softened as he remembered the humble little store in that dirt covered neighbourhood, where upon entry he would be greeted with hearty laughter and affectionate smile's by the two who had saved his life. 'The most amazing people I've ever met.'
Rogue snapped out of his nostalgia. 'That's enough about me.' He said. 'Now it's time for me to ask you two a question.'
Ren and Jaune exchanged glances before looking at Rogue and nodding, believing it was only fair.
Though they soon had doubt's as Rogue gave a sly grin, one that Jaune had learnt usually meant trouble. Rogue began to cackle maniacally.
Weiss could hear laughter coming from the other side of the ice wall she had erected to separate the currently bathing girl's from the guy's. Weiss honestly didn't trust the guy's not to peek; Jaune was a bit of a flirt, she didn't know Ren all that well, and she didn't trust Rogue, at all. But she had to admit:
he was right about the pool.
Weiss let out another content sigh. The water was indeed magical. Not only had it completely healed their wound's, but it also left her skin feeling smoother and her hair softer than the best soaps and conditioners money could buy.
'Shouldn't we get out soon?' Pyrrha asked her, though from her tone of voice, Weiss could tell that she really didn't want to. All of the girl's wounds had completely healed, and right now all they were doing was soaking, enjoying the relaxing sensation of the pool.
'Five more minutes...' Nora trailed off, to relaxed to say anything. Weiss believed the girl had the right idea and allowed herself to relax further. However, before she allowed herself to be enraptured by the bliss of this relaxation, she glanced over at Yang and Ruby.
The two sisters were enjoying the water just as much as Weiss was, but something seemed off about their behaviour. Yang seemed a lot less energetic than she usually was, and her smiles seemed strained and her relaxation forced, as if something was on her mind. Ruby seemed vacant, more so than usual, like she wasn't really there at all.
It wasn't so demanding that it required Weiss' attention though, so she got back to relaxing. Or at least, she attempted to before she was disturbed once more by burst's of laughter from the other side of the wall.
'What are those three up to?' Weiss said, eyeing the arch that acted as an entrance and exit for the wall suspiciously.
'Who know's.' Blake purred, surprisingly content in the water.
Just then Rogue's voice could be heard over the wall. 'Hey. Are you guy's done yet?'
'...' The girl's didn't respond.
'Hello?'
'...'
'Uuuuh You guy's haven't fallen asleep in there have you?'
Again, no response. Rogue thought for a moment. 'If I don't receive a response in the next ten seconds I'm going to come over there.'
The girls groaned. 'We're fine.'
'Well hurry up and get out of the pool please.' Rogue said. 'Ren, Jaune and I still need to bathe and I have to fix Ren's clothes as well.'
The girls groaned once more but conceded on the fact. Weiss swore she could hear Rogue chuckle under his breath the other side of the wall. 'Good. Your clothes are finished and by the arch. There's also some towels. Dry yourselves off and get changed.'
The girls reluctantly complied, and purposely slowed their exit of the pool. Finding the basket full of repaired clothing and towels, they were all surprised to find that Rogue had indeed known what he was doing. Weiss was shocked, her clothes looked good as new, no, they looked like they had never been torn in the first place! She wasn't the only one that was shocked either, all the girls exchanged the same look before they dried themselves off and put on their clothes. Weiss couldn't help but feel a tinge of respect towards Rogue, he was much better than any of the private tailors that worked for her family, if his stint at Beacon didn't work out then maybe she could convince her father to hire him. After all, good help was so hard to find these days.
More fits of laughter could be heard from the guys, and as Weiss and the other girl's rounded the corner of the wall, and were forced to suppress laughter of their own.
Ren's hair had been turned completely pink, and he did not look happy about it. Rogue was rolling around on the floor, pointing at laughing at his pouting face, while Jaune was trying to calm the situation. It all looked incredibly strange and awkward but with how ridiculous Ren looked, and the fact that he calmly stormed off to the other side of the wall and jumped into the pool, it made the situation seem rather funny.
Rogue recovered and quickly ran off to the other side to get Ren's clothes, and Jaune approached the girls.
'Are you guy's all right?' He asked, still concerned.
'We're fine.' Replied Ruby. 'The water really does work well.'
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness. When I saw you guy's I thought you were going to die.'
'Heh. It will take more than that to bring me down!' Yang replied, though Weiss thought it sounded a little forced.
'What was that thing anyway?' Blake asked, hoping that Jaune may have had answers considering he was here before them.
Jaune looked confused for a moment, but eventually understood what Blake was talking about. 'Oh. That's Spots. Rogue said that it guards the entrance to here. You know, keep people from getting in or out.'
The girls shared odd looks, and Ruby said the single thing that had been on everyone's mind. 'Where exactly is 'here'?'
'The Underworld.'
The girl's jumped back in surprise as Rogue reappeared, carrying Ren's coat and repairing it. The girls looked at him in confusion.
'The Underworld?' Ruby questioned.
Rogue nodded. 'Yup.' He turned to Jaune. 'You should join Ren. It's quite obvious that all the fighting has taken it's toll on you so the water will do you some good.'
Weiss looked over at Jaune in surprise. Jaune? Fighting? That just seemed ridiculous! Though she didn't know to much about him, she knew for a fact that he was not that great a fighter, if you could consider the term fitting. He was a goof-ball, a nincompoop, a moron, but now that Weiss had heard what Rogue said, she could see that Jaune had indeed been fighting. His face was dirty and had beads of sweat rolling down, and his breathing was uneven, physically exhausted. Jaune gave a sheepish grin. All in all he would be grateful, he was indeed quite tired and he took Rogue's advice and went past the wall and into the pool.
'What do you mean the Underworld?' Ruby asked as soon as Jaune left. While mending Ren's clothing, Rogue explained to the girls the details about this place. As soon as he finished his explanation and mending Ren's clothes, the girls looked at him like he was insane.
'That's impossible!' Exclaimed Weiss, causing the other girls to nod in agreement. Rogue simply chuckled in response as he took the Ren's repaired clothes and headed towards the pool.
'Perhaps it is miss Schnee. But in this world, the only limitation is what the author can imagine.'
The girls looked at him oddly as he rounded the corner and came back. 'Now tell me. How exactly did you get here?'
'There was some weird swirly thing in the forest.' Ruby replied. 'And we sorta fell into it.'
Ruby felt embarrassed as Rogue suppressed a chuckle, that came out in snorts. Ruby thought he wasn't taking her words seriously, but it was the exact opposite. Ruby had just confirmed Rogue's uneasy feeling that someone else was in the Underworld. 'Well.' Rogue said as he calmed down. 'Regardless of how you got here. I think you guy's have had enough excitement for now. As soon as I restore my mana, I'll create a portal to send you guy's back to Beacon.'
'Are you trying to get rid of us?' Questioned Blake, eyeing Rogue suspiciously.
Rogue smiled. 'Of course I am.' He said, causing the girls, (and Jaune and Ren who just recently returned and had been watching the scene) to look offended. 'It's for your own protection. The only reason that Spots didn't kill you guy's at the gate was because I was around, and Spots listens to me.' He explained, but his expression began to darken considerably. 'But the master of this place won't. And the fact remains that I can't battle and protect you lot at the same time.'
RWBY and JNPR felt chills run up their spine as Rogue spoke and headed towards the pool. They saw the dread and slight tinge of fear that seemed to develop in his eyes, but was hidden almost immediately. Before he completely turned the corner of the ice wall, Ruby asked who the master of this place was. Rogue looked at her, his expression completely blank, but if anyone looked close enough they would see the slight trembling of his hand. If they listened intently, they could hear the fear lining his voice as he gave a single name.
'Death.'
Adam wondered if he should have attacked Rogue when he doubled back through the cavern. However, the master didn't order him to battle Rogue, not yet at least, and would be very displeased if Adam went against orders. So Adam hid himself as Rogue ran back through the cavern. And when he was out of sight, Adam began to head forward once more.
Master wanted him to find something first. Something important at the heart of the Underworld. Something that Rogue cared for greatly. What had the master called it again? That's right.
A soul.
Did Adam have a soul? Master had told him that his only purpose was to serve, so Adam wasn't sure, but sometimes he wondered...
No. Now was not the time to think of such things. What the master wanted was the most important thing of all.
But whose soul was he looking for? Was it a single soul? No, no, no. Adam was ordered to find two souls.
The first was a woman's. Someone incredibly precious to Rogue. What was her name again? Ah, that's right.
Celestia.
And the second was a man. Someone that Rogue knew well. The master told him that an incident a while back had brought this soul to the Underworld. A soul that Death guarded like a jealous lover. A malicious grin formed on Adam's face as he thought about the soul he was sent to find, and relished Rogue's delicate situation. Rogue knew the bearer of this soul well, after all, very few know you better than yourself. Adam chuckled as he came closer to the heart of the Underworld.
The second soul, was Rogue's.